


Underneath? Or Alongside?

by CJAcrologic



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alpha Choi Jongho, Alpha Jeong Yunho, Alpha Park Seonghwa, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Beta Kang Yeosang, Beta Song Mingi, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Miscommunication, Omega Choi San, Omega Jung Wooyoung, Omega Kim Hongjoong, POV Alternating, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Recovery, Safeword Use, Safewords, Topping from the Bottom, description of panic attacks, description of vomiting, encountering an ex-abuser
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:28:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 34,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28183923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CJAcrologic/pseuds/CJAcrologic
Summary: Park Seonghwa, up-and-coming son of the CEO of a massive empire, has just been 'gifted' an Omega by his mother. Of course she had to choose one from a shelter that has a reputation for 'producing the best Omegas money can buy.'Kim Hongjoong has been in this damn Omega 'shelter' since he presented. He's fought every step of the way, earning him plenty of punishments, but if it means a younger Omega isn't taking that hit, he'll gladly take it. But out of the blue, he just got the news that some Alpha bought him today. Fuck this.READ TAGS AND AUTHORS NOTE! This work has abuse and past abuse and rape/non-con, but it is meant to be a healing arc for AFTER GETTING OUT of the bad situation. They stumble through it together, but this is the recovery after trauma
Relationships: Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Jeong Yunho/Jung Wooyoung, Jeong Yunho/Jung Wooyoung/Choi San/Kang Yeosang, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 43
Kudos: 322





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter contains: beatings, mentions of non-con but nothing detailed, descriptions of panic attacks, description of vomiting, and anxiety thought spirals. HOWEVER! It ALSO contains escaping a bad establishment! Reunions between long lost friends! Found families developing! Reassurances! Again, this is meant to be the road to recovery. 
> 
> Please please PLEASE let me know if there's anything else you'd want me to tag and if these are sensitive topics for you, be aware before you go in. I know this gets rough but I care about you <3 
> 
> oh and also we switch back and forth between Seonghwa and Hongjoong's POV, but I hope I make it pretty clear whose perspective is whose

“I don’t have time for this, Mother,” Seonghwa nodded to his driver, telling him to leave whenever he was ready. 

_“I think you will, dearest,”_ she cooed over the phone, _“After all, it’s been going so great for your friends!”_

He groaned, shoving his briefcase somewhere else in the car and loosening his tie, “What, you want me to place some stocks in that new phone case startup? I don’t do accessories, Mother,” 

_“No, I mean getting an Omega,”_

Seonghwa choked. “A what?” His driver looked up into the rearview mirror to see if he was alright. He waved, telling him he was fine, but nearly shouted into the phone, “And don’t think I didn’t hear you, because I did, but I’m certain you did _not_ say —” 

_“An Omega! Oh sweetums, he’d be so good for you! Didn’t your friend Young-ho, and what’s his beta’s name, Yeo-song? Didn’t they just get another one? Look at how happy they are!”_

“Yunho and Yeosang, and no! They got San months ago and I still don’t think he and Wooyoung are fully adjusted!” 

_“Oh they don’t need to adjust, dear. They’re Omegas, they’re so resilient!”_

Seonghwa gagged silently. He couldn’t believe her sometimes; but she was old and rich and there wasn’t much he could do to change her mind. 

_“Anyway,”_ she continued, _“He’s all bought and paid for! I know you don’t care too much for formal training, so I asked them to give you the one with... The most personality... And this shelter never fails!”_

“Dear god, Mother, that’s a _person_ ,” 

_“Just go pick him up today, I took the liberty of telling your driver and the shelter that you were coming. If you don’t, I think they’ll just consider him a Reject, but there’s always another,”_

“A reject? What does that mean — no, do not hang up on me, Mother! What do you mean ‘a reject’?” 

_“Surely you’ve heard of this before, Rejects are the Omegas no one wants. They’re unadoptable. And since this shelter is top of the line, they only operate at peak efficiency, there’s no room for Rejects,”_

Did she… did she just…? 

His _mother_ . Paid for _a human person_ . And if Seonghwa doesn’t go pick him up, he’ll be _killed_? 

“Fucking hell,” he hissed. 

_“Watch your language, young man! Besides, I think you need something to take care of. A pet, an Omega, even a plant or something. You haven’t even dated any nice betas recently. You’re too lonely in that big house all on your own,”_

He hung up on his mother. Maybe this was his fault for going to university in something other than business or statistics, but surely _regular people with regular souls_ could see that an Omega was a person too? He only hoped that this wasn’t the same shelter that Yeosang and Yunho got Wooyoung and San. They adopted Wooyoung nearly a year ago, but only got San a few months ago. Thankfully Wooyoung’s recovery really took off after they brought San home as well, the shelter said they knew each other, so it must have helped having a familiar face. He still hadn’t met San, however; he was a complete wreck and things were going pretty slowly. He couldn’t imagine what the poor thing had gone through. 

——— 

Seonghwa craved death. 

It was the same shelter. It was the same fucking shelter Wooyoung and San had come from. 

‘High end’ didn’t even begin to describe it. This shelter produced Omegas for the social elite, the top 1%. These were the show Omegas who paraded around parties draped on their Alpha’s arms in nothing but gold chains and underwear if they were lucky. These Omegas were the ones who didn’t look him in the eye when he was in the back with the cooks during the parties, helping do the dishes or plate hors d'oeuvres or even just chat. Omegas from public shelters (or even ones who weren’t from a shelter because _they were people too_ ) would at least lighten up when they realized he treated them like people. But these Omegas had been trained to not even _think_ of being anything but subservient. 

But he was expected to have one. Heir to the Park Comm Intel fortune, eldest son, and an early-presented Alpha, it was starting to come up online more and more about why _didn’t_ he have an Omega? 

So he put his tie and his professional mask back on and stepped out of the car when his driver opened the door. 

Here goes his daily good deed. Too bad no good deed goes unpunished. 

* * *

“Up, 1117,” 

Hongjoong was kicked in the ribs once more before he snarled and groaned, rolling over to face his attacker. It was just another Caretaker, dressed in their sterile white and completely covered from their head to their toes. He didn’t even ask what they wanted this time, he just stood from his mat on the floor, wincing silently in pain. 

Making a sound in pain was breaking a rule. Broken rules meant more punishments. More punishments meant more pain. 

Every day, Hongjoong growled and took punishments head on. 

But not this early. He wasn’t in the cafeteria and he didn’t have other Omegas to protect. Here, in his ‘room,’ it was just him and the Caretaker. He would challenge, he would fight back, but just enough to show he was upset. Not enough to get another broken rib or a week without a full meal. 

The caretaker held up the remote to his collar tauntingly. As if Hongjoong could forget about the metal band around his neck that would shock him at the slightest wrong move. He just rolled his eyes and followed the person out of the room and down the hall. 

Instead of how they regularly turned to the right to get to the cafeteria for breakfast (assuming he was allowed to eat today), they turned left and headed down to the examination rooms. The sterile white of the hallways was blinding, not to mention the acerbic stench of alcohol and cleanser invading his nose. He took in a quiet breath in surprise but said nothing, didn’t even acknowledge they went a different way. 

Something new was happening today. He hadn’t even seen the pups yet. 

He was closed in an examination room which was little more than a pristine white dungeon. A desk and roller chair for the doctor sat in one corner, a medical bed in the other, and along the wall in between were two metal braces attached to the wall. They had a few inches of slack so he could be turned and manhandled, he remembered irately, but not enough to move out of the way of poking and prodding or needles or _devices_ or — 

Someone came in a moment later. A ‘doctor,’ he presumed, based on the white lab coat and the blue gloved hands and the mask covering the lower half of the man’s face. He reeked of scent suppressant but held himself with the haughtiness of an Alpha. Hongjoong was used to that at least. 

He chained Hongjoong to the wall and untied his clothes without a word. Hongjoong didn’t fight, it wouldn’t be any good to fight a doctor because they would just give you a shot and do it while you slept anyway, so he may as well cooperate to know what was being done. 

The doctor poked and prodded and put his hands where a _stranger’s hands shouldn’t be_ , but overall this was a tame examination. It was over faster than he expected. 

Another Caretaker came into the room and led him out without letting him get dressed. They simply unclipped the shackles and walked away, expecting him to follow. 

“Omega 1117,” the Caretaker recited as if he were forced to read this statement off a clipboard, “As of this morning, Wednesday the 2nd at 8:17am, you have been reserved and paid for. You are being led to the Introductory Room. You will assume your positions as you have been taught and if your Alpha completes the paperwork, you will leave with them immediately. You have no belongings to collect. If your Alpha does not arrive by 8:00 close tonight, you will be filed as a Reject, Class C, with no parole to another shelter or a rehabitionary period. Your position in this shelter will be immediately taken by the next awaiting Omega,” 

“What the fuck?” He snapped. The next second, his body spasmed uncontrollably and he fell to his knees, seething in pain. The collar around his neck burned. That hadn’t even been anything past a level three — he had been so complacent for so long it dropped from the seven it was a few days ago. 

“Silent, Omega. You will speak when your Alpha has given you permission, and not a moment before,” 

With a rough shove, he was pushed into the Introductory Room and the door was locked behind him. 

Hongjoong wouldn’t cry. Not when there was a one-way mirror in front of him, right next to the door the Alpha would walk through whenever it graced their timeline. Not when other Omegas were still there in the cafeteria, waiting for him to show up to breakfast. 

Hongjoong wouldn’t cry. But he had half a mind to go for the throat of the person who next entered the room. 

* * *

Seonghwa watched in thinly veiled disgust as the shelter director showed him around their ‘sublime premises.’ She gestured this way and that to the enrichment centers, the gym, the classrooms. They were all filled with pretty little Omegas dutifully performing their tasks like jogging picturesquely on the treadmill or attentively cooking some meal. 

“Hm,” he acknowledged she was speaking. He had no idea what she was saying. 

“And here are our medical facilities,” she pointed down a hallway so white it was glowing, “But your… _Prize_ … is this way, Mr. Park. Welcome to your Introductory Room,” 

She opened a door to reveal a lavish lounge, complete with a prosecco fridge and leather armchairs and a table filled with all the pamphlets he could need about owning an Omega. On the wall opposite stood a window — probably a mirror, Seonghwa figured — into another purely-white room. 

A boy, no, a man? An _Omega_ paced inside like a caged lion, naked and doing everything in his power not to shiver. Seonghwa still had his jacket on and he admitted it was cold. He was an Alpha on top of that, he ran hot. He couldn’t imagine the cold on the Omega’s thin, naked body. 

“On the desk, you’ll find Omega 1117’s file along with his complete medical history, behavioral record, and handwritten notes of personalized warnings. Your mother _insisted_ you would be able to handle a case like this, Mr. Park, but there is also a list of emergency contacts should you need them. Please don’t worry if you have to surrender him soon, another Alpha won’t have to take him: he’s Class C and won’t even be rehabilitated.” 

She closed the door, stepping outside, and let him take his time drinking in his new _purchase._

Seonghwa collapsed into the nearest chair and put his head in his hands. What the fuck had he gotten into? He pulled out his phone, maybe to call Yunho, maybe to call his mother and yell at her, only to see that there was no signal in this damn stone building. It had probably been built specifically to block mobile signals. Damn these new, privately-owned shelters. 

After a moment, he stood and went to review the paperwork on the desk. 

_Omega 1117. Hostile. Untrained. Reject Class C candidate: withheld due to potential. Not yet deemed fit for service._

Well, Mother sure had picked well, hadn’t she? He rolled his eyes. If that was the front cover of the manila folder, Seonghwa couldn’t _wait_ to see what was inside. 

_Omega 1117. Sex: Male. Age: 22. Pedigr—_

Seonghwa stopped reading. He was 22? He was way too small, way too frail to be nearly Seonghwa’s age. Looking at his birthday, he was only a few months younger than Seonghwa himself. 

The more he looked, the more he saw bruises and lacerations scattering the pale skin of the Omega’s body. He had clearly been beaten — “reinforced” as they called it — and paced the room near maniacally, tearing at his long, greasy hair. 

The door on the other side of the Omega’s room opened and another one of those nurse-things walked in. Seonghwa couldn’t hear what was said, but the person grabbed the Omega’s hair and kicked in the back of his knees, forcing him to kneel on the ground. They then threw him forward so his head smacked the concrete floor and held up a small metallic remote. The Omega writhed and thrashed on the floor. 

Seonghwa threw his door open. 

“What are you doing?” he roared. 

“M-My apologies, sir, I wasn’t expecting you,” the person behind the tinted full-face mask spluttered out. 

“‘Wasn’t expecting me?’ He’s mine now, isn’t he?” he let his vitriol of the situation leak into his words and into his scent, throwing the guard or whatever for a loop. His Dominance leaked into the air, likely potent even through that full-face mask they wore. 

“No, of course, sir! Only that, he’s not in position, he’s —” 

“Give me that,” he snatched the remote from the idiot abuser’s hand and fiddled with it, doing whatever he could to get it to turn off. In trying, he accidentally turned it up maybe a notch. He watched as the Omega grit his teeth so hard Seonghwa heard them grind before he frantically turned the knob the other way, shutting off a now-apparent shock collar immediately. 

The Omega lay shivering on the floor. His nose was bloody. Seonghwa knelt next to him and snarled at the other person. 

_“Get out,”_

“Yessir,” 

The door closed behind them. 

It took a moment, but the Omega looked up at him with pure hatred, snarling. 

* * *

Hongjoong had been shocked again. He was thrown to the floor and then shocked (probably about a five or six, his mind supplied helpfully,) but _then_. 

_Then_ he smelled something. 

Something other than rubbing alcohol and medical-grade lube and latex gloves. 

_Alpha._

His stomach churned as anger and shock burst in the room. Hongjoong opened his eyes as much as he could to see some smarmy Alpha running in. He growled something to the Caretaker who immediately relinquished the remote to his collar. 

The Alpha turned it up to a six. It had definitely been at a five before, he thought bitterly as he tried not to bite his tongue. Of course the first thing an Alpha would do is electrocute him into oblivion to assert his dominance. 

The shock stopped. He lay limp on the ground. That was the longest duration he had gotten in a while, that was for sure. 

The Alpha knelt next to him, smelling of tea and bergamot and lemon and Hongjoong longed to breathe in the scent, his body yearning for the comfort it knew an Alpha could give him — 

The Alpha smelled angry and disgusted too, like he hated what he was seeing, like he was furious he had to be in this room with him, like he would rather be anywhere but here —

The Caretaker left. Hongjoong glared up at the Alpha, daring him to make the first move. 

* * *

Seonghwa wasn’t a large Alpha by any means. He was tall and lanky and had been gangly ever since he presented all the way until he finished university. But sitting next to this Omega, he felt huge. He could wrap two hands around the poor thing’s waist, probably could throw him over a shoulder and just carry him out like that. He looked so frail and meager, Seonghwa was scared if he breathed too hard he’d break the skin. 

But the fire in those eyes told him something completely different. The Omega glared nigh-tangible daggers, staring him dead in the eyes so hard he felt like a laser was focused on him. His scent was sour and dirty and _mad_ from what he could tell under the scent suppressant they kept Omegas doused in, but Seonghwa couldn’t help but wonder how far under that sat the fear and loneliness. 

He slowly shrugged off his tan wool knee-length jacket and wrapped it around the Omega. The Omega flinched violently when the fabric touched his skin and shoved the first shoulder off of himself, but couldn’t fight much more when it encased him on all sides. 

Seonghwa was amazed at how physical an effect his jacket had on the Omega. It looked like he started fighting sleep; his eyelids drooped and his head nodded and he snarled silently, shaking his head to get himself to wake up. 

“I’m sorry, I bet you want your own clothes but they didn’t give me any for you,” he murmured softly, hoping a kind tone would help. 

The Omega just glared at him and said nothing. 

Seonghwa helped him stand and adjusted the jacket that completely dwarfed the Omega before leading him out into the Alpha’s lounge as carefully as possible. 

The shelter director was in the lounge, waiting for him. 

“It looks like you got him to submit!” she cheered, clapping excitedly, “We’ve been trying for _years_ but no one’s been able to. Your mother may have been right after all, maybe you really are a miracle worker!” 

“I’m taking him home,” he growled. The Omega shivered violently under his arm, eyes downcast. 

“Have you finished your paperwork, sir?” she leafed through the pages he certainly did not sign. Fuck. He above all else knew the consequences of shoddily-done paperwork, and he needed to make sure that he’d have full rights to this Omega now that he had gone and gotten himself attached. 

Seonghwa guided the Omega to one of the sleek leather chairs and sat him down in it gently. The shelter director made a small noise of surprise, but said nothing. She was an Alpha too, but he outranked her in Dominance and in status. They were both acutely aware of that. 

He took out his glasses from his breast pocket and, taking one last glance at the Omega who had nearly fallen into a haze, tore the papers to shreds, searching for any clause he didn’t like and looking for where to sign. 

Overall, it was the kind of shelter that was exactly what the elite deserved: the best lawyers had written the paperwork on both sides. Should anything happen to the Alpha as a direct or indirect result of the Omega, the shelter was not responsible. No one other than the Alpha who signed could return the Omega to the shelter, which would then signify them as a Reject, and the class they fell under from there would be up to the shelter to decide. 

He finished all the paperwork and held back a grown when the director gave him a portfolio of all the paperwork and files and brochures and first-time-guides to introducing an Omega to the home. He tucked it under his arm, muttered an ‘I’m sorry,’ and scooped the Omega up in his arms. 

Seonghwa stormed back out to his car. His driver was waiting, holding one of the back doors open. When Seonghwa gently placed the trembling Omega in the seat, his driver rushed around to open the other door for him, but he just waved him off. It was more important that they leave as soon as possible. 

He got in the seat next to the boy — man, he supposed, if he was 22 — and tried to buckle him into the seat. That was when he snapped out of whatever reverie he had been in and snarled. 

This wasn’t like the silent snarl he gave the guard. This was a full, deep in the back of the throat, honest to god _growl_ that made his bones rattle. He had enough Dominance, enough fury in that one action to make Seonghwa’s Alpha perk up. Not a serious challenge, but enough Dominance that he took notice. And that didn’t happen often. 

He put his hands up gently, “Hey, it’s ok, I’m not going to hurt you,” 

“Go to hell, _Alpha,_ ” he spat. His voice cracked and sounded hoarse like he hadn’t used it in a while. He jolted in pain as a shock from the collar wracked through him when he spoke, though this one was short. Seonghwa needed to get that damned thing off as soon as he could. 

The Omega weakly (but as harshly as he was able to) threw Seonghwa’s jacket back at him, preferring to sit naked in the car, knees tucked up to his chin and arms wrapped around his shins. Seonghwa couldn’t tell if he was more focused on hiding his modesty or his injuries, or if he was even aware he was hiding. 

“It’s going to be ok, you’re out, you’re not going back ever again,” 

The Omega snapped. Seonghwa heard the clack of his teeth when he bit the air. “Yeah? Not even if I’m a _Reject_?” He shook at another shock but it didn’t stop him. 

“Stop, you’re hurting yourself, can I —” he reached out to inspect the collar but the Omega scrambled away as far as he could. 

“If you touch me you’re fucking dea—” he swore just before he was shocked again. This one lasted a little longer, looked a little rougher. He panted when it was over. 

Seonghwa pulled back and pulled his limbs into himself tightly. “Alright,” 

The Omega didn’t ask a question out loud, panting slightly from the shocks, but he raised an eyebrow at the response. 

“I won’t touch you if you don’t want me to,” he said simply. 

The Omega huffed and shuffled into a more comfortable position squashed up against the door. He kept glancing at Seonghwa every few seconds, waiting for him to move, but Seonghwa never did. 

This was going to be a long car ride. 

* * *

Hongjoong made the Alpha stay away. Once they were out of the car and inside wherever this guy lived, he was sure to get his ass handed to him, but _oh,_ for the moment, it was _so worth it._ The Alpha almost looked scared. 

Scared! Of a naked, beat-to-shit Omega! He’d grin ferally if he weren’t so stressed. 

So far this Alpha was just plain _weird_. He didn’t seem to want to hurt Hongjoong. He was honestly expecting to be shoved between the guy’s thighs the second they got to the car, a dick pressed to his face and an order to suck. 

He would have bitten the guy’s cock off, but no one needed to know that. 

Caretakers at the shelter had played the long game before. He had been there for five fucking years after all; they had played _all_ the games. And Hongjoong won every single one. 

They had tried for years to break him. He was too valuable of an Omega to give up, he knew that, so the shelter just kept at it, knowing he could be sold for a fortune once he was ‘properly trained.’ Stupid fucking pedigrees. But even though he wasn’t ‘trained,’ it looks like this measly, skinny little Alpha had named the right price and got the rough, uncut diamond in the dirt. 

Lucky bastard, Hongjoong rolled his eyes. 

Once the Alpha said he wouldn’t touch him, however, he didn’t move. The Alpha just kept himself tucked aside on the other side of the car seats, looking out the window and only occasionally glancing at Hongjoong. 

He wondered how far he could go with this Alpha. They all had different breaking points, one man in the shelter didn’t even lash out physically until Hongjoong bit him, but they all got there in the end. A lot were fond of pain, but some liked to starve him. Some liked to keep him isolated. He wondered morbidly what this Alpha’s vice was and how hard it was to get there. 

A small, selfish part of him that was tired of the pain said he would do that to find the line so he could stay this side of it. This was a fresh start, he could make things easy for himself this time around. The bigger, louder, angrier part of him wanted to do whatever he could to piss this new Alpha off while he was still novel, still new and exciting and not worth Rejecting. 

When they reached their destination, the driver parked and rushed around to open the Alpha’s door. After what looked like a brief conversation, the Alpha came around himself to open Hongjoong’s door himself. He stepped out into the frigid winter air (pretending to be) completely unperturbed and headed for the front door. He shivered terribly but didn’t do anything about it. He could indulge himself when he wasn’t being watched. The Alpha rushed after him, coat and papers in hand, as the driver took off once more. 

He opened the door for Hongjoong and let him step in first. It was surprising, but he didn’t show it. 

“Uh, sorry it’s a mess, I live alone,” the Alpha apologized. Hongjoong ignored him. He knew it would be his job from now on to clean up after him. “If it helps any, I wasn’t expecting company…” he trailed off. 

Oh, good, so the Alpha wasn’t _planning_ on getting an Omega, he just chose to on a whim? Sounded about right. Based on how expensive this place seemed, it would be just like some rich Alpha to decide to buy someone on just another Wednesday. 

He didn’t growl but his lip tugged itself upward in disgust. 

Not only that, but the entire place _reeked_ of this Alpha. He could smell a few others who seemed to stop by, some light orangey person and something like flowers, but one was an Alpha and one was a beta and he didn’t care. The entire, lavish house smelled like he was rubbing his face in the Alpha’s armpit and Hongjoong _hated_ that his body decided to go fuzzy at that. His fingers tingled. His toes got pins and needles. If he tried hard enough, he could pretend it was from the cold from outside. 

“Here,” the Alpha rushed over to him but drastically slowed down once he got close, “They still smell like me, but they’re clean. I — I’ll get some neutralizing detergent soon,” 

He handed Hongjoong a pile of clothes. They were well worn and looked comfortable, but a bristle went up his spine at the thought of wearing something that belonged to the Alpha. 

But at this point he knew he couldn’t last long. He was trembling even though he was out of the cold, probably from a mix of sleep deprivation, hunger, and overstimulation. This past half hour had more color, more scents, more activity than he’d had in years. 

“What’s your name?” the Alpha asked gently, keeping his distance and letting Hongjoong explore the house. 

“1117,” he sneered. That’s what the shelter called him anyway. 

“No, your real name?” 

He didn’t get to know. He didn’t _deserve_ to know. Hongjoong just bit the air again, snapping his teeth, and turned away. 

The Alpha didn’t hit him. He didn’t hurl insults at him, didn’t threaten, nothing. He was fucking _weird_. 

“I’m Seonghwa,” the Alpha tried to get him to talk, voice soft. He ignored him. 

Once the Alpha — _Seonghwa_ — understood Hongjoong wouldn’t say anything to him, he stepped away from his spot in front of the couch. Hongjoong whipped around, watching him carefully, but he just walked down a hallway and left Hongjoong alone. _Alone_. 

Here was the first test. He knew it was coming, there was always a test. The Alpha wanted to see what he did on his own, what he went to first, so that could either be taken away first or used against him first. The response to this kind of test was just the one that would get him the least amount of pain later: do nothing. 

Hongjoong froze and didn’t touch anything in the house, didn’t move anywhere. He kept looking around, but stayed in one spot. If he moved to sit, he could be forced to stand or hold a position for hours later as a punishment. If he looked for food, that might be withheld later. If he took an interest in something soft and warm like the blankets, even though his teeth still chattered from the cold, he could guarantee that meant he would never get one of his own. 

He knew these games and he knew them too well. 

The intense smells gave Hongjoong a headache. He hadn’t smelled anything more than rubbing alcohol and scent neutralizer in five years, and to now be surrounded by Alpha musk and the smell of food and plants and _everything_ was making the ceiling sway closer and farther. Even the other Omegas in the shelter had been doused with scent neutralizer daily. He wasn’t even sure what he smelled like, let alone his other pups who had been taken months ago. 

The Alpha returned a moment later, a bottle of something in his hands, and he began spraying it around the room frantically. 

“I’m so sorry,” the intense smells dimmed a little, the familiar scent of nothing coming back into his nose, “I’ve got a guest room on this floor, Yeosang and Yunho stay there when they stay the night, and it’s mainly scentless. Alphas, you know how we are,” 

Did this Alpha ever stop talking? Maybe mean words were his preferred punishment. That’s fine, they rolled off Hongjoong’s back the easiest. 

“You can stay there, if you want, I don’t really mind, They don’t come over anymore anyway, they’ve got Omegas now,” he rambled. Hongjoong didn’t pay attention. The Alpha musk in the air was still palpable but now it was manageable. He just watched in silence. 

* * *

The Omega (there was no way Seonghwa was calling him 1117 forever) watched like a hawk as Seonghwa moved around the room, spraying as many things with a scent neutralizer as he could. His Alpha didn’t like it, preferring everything in _his_ house to smell like _him_ , but his Alpha could stuff it. He had an Omega here who was clearly uncomfortable and in pain and that mattered more. 

He set down the bottle of neutralizer and moved to the couch, keeping his posture open and soft. 

“Do you want to come sit?” he asked. The Omega looked at him and at the leather couch. Seonghwa could feel the chill of unwarmed leather through his own slacks, he winced sympathetically at the thought of it on his bare ass. 

The Omega seemed to have a similar train of thought as he picked up the pair of pyjama pants Seonghwa had given him and shoved his bony frame inside. He had to cinch the drawstring to its limits to get it to tie around his waist and stay up, but he got there in the end. He also threw the shirt on. Seonghwa couldn’t help but note how it hung off his shoulders like a wire coat hanger. 

The Omega strode up to him, still shaking but not as bad, and stood tall in front of him, clearly challenging. He looked so frail that Seonghwa worried if he breathed too hard he’d break the poor thing. 

“Um, are you hungry at all? Or tired? Or, actually, if I could see your collar, then I can see how to get that thing off of you. Shit, I’m gonna have to get you one, aren’t I?” he knew he was thinking aloud but couldn’t help it, “Maybe I’ll get one that’s soft, like suede inside or something, because it looks like you’ve got — is that a burn?” 

Without thinking, he reached out a hand to touch the collar, to move it off the Omega’s skin. The Omega flinched violently, throwing himself back. He fell hard, smacking his spine against the coffee table. He didn’t make a sound as he grit his teeth once again. Seonghwa could smell blood from where he bit his cheek. 

“I’m sorry, here, actually I’ll just take you to your room, and maybe you can get used to things there? I don’t know what I’m doing,” he apologized profusely, “Uh, yeah. Come on? I’ll show you where you can stay? And — and then I’ll get lunch ready?” 

He stood up from the couch and watched as the Omega wordlessly stood to trail behind him, only nursing his back slightly. He led him down the hall to the guest bedroom and opened the door, gesturing in. 

It wasn’t much, he sighed internally. Just a queen bed and bedside tables, lamps, a desk and chair with a full gaming setup, and barely a closet big enough to be considered ‘walk-in’ (it could only fit one bench in the middle. He really should have gone for more when he bought the house). The lights weren’t color LED, just regular ones, and the switches weren’t touchscreen. At least the bay windows had automatic shades controlled at a panel next to the lights, he thought, instead of across the room like some others he had seen. It would have to do for now until the Omega could tell him what he preferred. 

He let the Omega wander in the room and look around. 

“I’m sorry it’s not much, but we can get more later. Um, for now, make yourself at home, and I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything? Uh, other than that, I won’t come bother you until food is ready. You can come out when you want,” 

With that, he backed out and closed the door behind him. As he walked away, searching for where he left his phone, he thought he could hear sniffling. 

Best leave it for now, He knew the Omega was overwhelmed, and it probably wasn’t a good idea for some stranger to go and rub his nose in everything. 

He needed to call Yeosang and Yunho right away. 

_“Hwa?”_ Yeosang picked up after a few rings, _“What’s up, you never call, only text,”_

“Mother bought me an Omega,” he blurted out, “And he’s like, he’s _fucked_. I mean like take Wooyoung-fucked and San-fucked but make it worse. He was beat in front of me, Yeosang!” 

_“Whoa, whoa, slow down! Let me grab Yunho,”_ there was silence on the other line for a moment before Yeosang switched it to a video chat, both of them in frame. 

“What the fuck? What’s happening?” Yunho said, “You got an Omega?” 

“Yeah,” Seonghwa was pretty sure he was starting to hyperventilate now, “I walked in on them _beating him_ . He won’t talk to me, and he’s snarled a ton, and he’s in a fucking _shock collar_ . He’s got enough Dominance to challenge _me_ ! What are they _doing_ over there?” 

“Where did you get him?” 

He swallowed, “I think it’s the same place you got Woo and San,” 

“Fuck,” Yeosang hissed. 

“Do you think they know each other?” 

Yunho hummed, “Wooyoung said the Omegas were kept pretty separate except for meal times or until they had been fully trained. So maybe —” 

“I promise you he’s not trained. The director said it was a fucking-quote-miracle that I fucking-quote-got-him-to-submit-to-me,” 

Yeosang and Yunho glanced at each other. “Should we bring Wooyoung over? Omegas are good for other Omegas,” 

“I don’t want to overwhelm him any more than he already is,” Seonghwa admitted, “And what about San? Can he be alone?” 

They hesitated. “For a little bit, he can. I don’t think we want to take him outside just yet. He still runs really easily,” 

Yunho had an idea, “I can come over with Wooyoung, just for a little bit, and Yeosang can stay with San? Maybe Wooyoung will know what to do,” 

“That sounds good,” 

“We’ll be there in fifteen,” 

* * *

Hongjoong didn’t relax, per se, but he let himself sit on the bed. It was better than anything he had felt in the past five years. It hardly bent under his skeleton frame, but it was also warm and soft and he just wanted to sleep. 

He couldn’t, though. He didn’t know if he was being watched. He didn’t know if the Alpha — Seonghwa — would change his mind. 

He knew from experience he couldn’t be on red alert 24/7, but he could for the first few days, just to figure out the routine. He still didn’t know what would set this Alpha off. 

A soft knock at the door startled Hongjoong so bad he yelped and fell to the floor. He stood quickly, taking the barest defensive stance he could without looking like he was preparing to fight someone off. 

“Uh, O-Omega? Shit, I hate calling you that, but, uh, can I… I’ve got news? Um, one of my friends has an Omega too, well actually they’re an Alpha and a beta and they have two now, but um. One of them is coming over. Both of them. Um,” the Alpha stopped for a minute, “I think you’ll like him. He’s loud and playful, but he came from the same shelter as you. And we can eat together? I don’t know if you’re awake, but they’ll be here soon, they left their house a few minutes ago,” 

A loud chime echoed through the house, making Hongjoong flinch again. 

“That’s them! I’ll be right back,” 

Hongjoong’s heart started racing. This Alpha had just brought another Alpha into the house (never good) and brought a new Omega with them (double never good). Punishments with two Omegas were the worst because a lot of times they had to compete, but punishments with two Alphas? Those were _torture._ He couldn’t even think of what a punishment with two Omegas and two Alphas would be like. Hongjoong didn’t know if he would make it out of here alive. 

He scrambled. The windows didn’t look like they could open and if he had the strength to break them, there’s no way he’d get far enough away in this state to outrun two healthy Alphas. He’d be killed the second he was caught. 

Under the bed would have to do. 

He pressed himself to the floor and shimmied under, hoping that the Alphas were too big to even fit under here. But soon enough, voices came filtering down the hallway. 

One of them sounded familiar, but it was far too loud, too bright to be one of the Omegas he knew from the shelter. It sounded a bit like Wooyoung, but he didn’t let himself hold on to that thought. It’d hurt too much to get his expectations up. 

The door creaked open. One person gently stepped in and closed the door behind them. 

“I know you’re in here,” he said softly. A strange scent followed, and it took Hongjoong a moment to realize they were Omega pheromones.The Omega smelled like jasmine and clean laundry and took a little bit of the edge off of his fear. “It's ok, I’m an Omega too, I’m not gonna hurt you. Promise,” 

The voice started moving like it was searching and Hongjoong watched socked feet move back and forth around the room. 

“My mate said we’re from the same shelter? I got out almost a year ago, it was hell, but I promise these Alphas are way better,” 

The voice had been next to the closet, Hongjoong noticed, but now it came back closer. He held his breath. 

“I can’t really smell too much from you right now, you’re still covered in neutralizer, but you don’t need to be worried, it’s just me in here,” 

A face appeared next to the bed. 

“What... Hyung?” the Omega said hesitantly, peering through the dark. 

It couldn’t be. This face was plump, it was healthy. This Omega was tanned and well-fed and didn’t have bruises littering his skin. 

Hongjoong was hallucinating. There was no way. 

“Hyung, it’s me!” Wooyoung gasped, tears forming in his eyes, “Hongjoong-hyung!” 

Hongjoong’s pup, the one he lost nearly a year ago, pressed himself to the ground and clawed at the carpet, trying to shove his substantially-thicker-than-before body under the bed to reach him. 

“‘Woo?” he whispered, still too aware of the metal collar around his neck. 

“Hyung! Hongjoong! It’s me, it’s Wooyoung!” Wooyoung was full-body wiggling in excitement now, tears streaming down his face. Hongjoong pulled himself out from under the bed and let Wooyoung wrap him in a hug. 

“Hongjoongie-hyung, I can’t believe you’re out!” 

“Wooyoung,” he gasped. It really was him. One of his pups, the first Omega he had taken care of at the shelter and the first one to be taken away, was here. He was here and he was healthy and he was happy and — 

_And he had a scent._ Hongjoong breathed in like he had been suffocating, shoving his face in Wooyoung’s neck and squeezing him as tightly as he could. Wooyoung’s body had significantly more give to it than the last time he had seen him. 

Jasmine and clean laundry and happiness and all of these different scents Hongjoong had never smelled from him before, hadn’t smelled in almost five years, flooded his nose. His head spun again, but this time he pulled it tighter. He never wanted to stop smelling his pup’s happiness. 

Wooyoung pulled away from their pile on the floor and held him at arm's length. “It’s me and San! We were adopted by the same mates! You and me and San, we’re all out!” 

Hongjoong sobbed. San was out too? San was safe? He couldn’t believe it. He and Wooyoung and San were out of the shelter and he wasn’t in trouble and Wooyoung was healthy and San was safe… 

He had died. This was heaven and he died sometime yesterday, he decided. Maybe that punishment for giving one of the other Omegas a bit of extra food had finally done it and now he was in heaven and his two babies were _safe_ — 

“Hyung, what’s this?” Wooyoung’s happy smell quickly turned to sour horror the longer he looked at Hongjoong. 

Wooyoung was one of the only ones Hongjoong would ever let get close to his neck. His pup reached out a gentle hand and brushed against the metal of the shock collar. Hongjoong flinched, less violently than when that Alpha reached out. He didn’t want Wooyoung to get shocked. With how many times it had gone off today, it still wouldn’t go below a five unless he could go a whole 24 hours without needing to be punished. 

“Did they make you quiet, hyung?” Wooyoung whispered in horror. Hongjoong could only nod. Wooyoung swallowed hard. “My Alpha can help. Please, Hongjoongie, please trust me. Yunho is out there, and I’ve met your Alpha before, and they’re not bad I promise. We’ll be able to get that _thing_ off of you and —” 

Hongjoong interrupted as best he could by grabbing Wooyoung’s hands and shaking his head frantically. He knew his eyes were wide. Wooyoung wanted to go to Alphas for help? Did he forget their unending patience, their ability to hold a grudge for weeks, to lull you into a false sense of security until the second you let down your guard, then they’d be back in full-swing? 

Wooyoung pleaded with him the way he used to when Hongjoong would step in to take a punishment for him. “Please, they’re good here. It’s not the shelter. I — I trust my mate, and he trusts your Alpha. Please, Joongie? He’s my _mate_. Yunho’s really good to us, to me and San both,” 

He looked so sincere and he was still wiping tears from his eyes and Hongjoong really wanted the collar off and the sores under it _hurt_ … 

He nodded. Wooyoung cried again and helped him to his feet. 

* * *

Seonghwa heard a lot of shouting and crying from the Omega’s room and then silence. 

“I think Woo knew him,” Yunho whispered in awe. They sat at the kitchen table waiting for something to happen next. “He talked about his hyung a lot, said he always stood up for them… I wonder if this is him,” 

“What if it is?” Seonghwa wondered, “They’re treated like shit there. Like they’re not even human. Fuck, I’ve seen _dogs_ treated better than them,” 

Yunho shrugged. “I dunno, hyung. I think all we can do for now is help them now that they’re out,” 

“Are they doing better, now that they’re out?” 

“Woo’s doing a lot better now with San. I think he likes that he’s got his hyung back. And San… He’s getting there. It’s only been a few months, he still asks permission when he wants to eat, but he goes around the house on his own now,” 

“Good,” Seonghwa praised genuinely. He remembered texting them when they first got San. The Omega wouldn’t leave Wooyoung’s side even to go to the bathroom, and then once he trusted the other two, would insist one of them go from room to room with him. Yeosang first, naturally, but from what he’s heard, San has accepted that Yunho would be more of a silent guardian. He wasn’t quite cuddling him, but trusted him to stand guard. 

The door creaked open and Wooyoung poked his head out. 

“Hyung?” he whispered. 

“Wooyoung?” Yunho turned and moved to get up from his chair but Wooyoung’s eyes went wide. 

“No, no, no! Stay there! — It’s ok —” he said, presumably to the Omega behind the door, “Yunho-hyung, we need some help, but you need to, like, pour neutralizer on you or something. And move slow!” 

Seonghwa watched, holding his breath, as Yunho sprayed the almost-empty scent neutralizer all over himself before slowly returning to the table. Seonghwa grabbed it and doused himself as well, just to be safe.

“It’s ok, hyung,” Wooyoung cooed, guiding a frail form out of the bedroom, Wooyoung himself had taken his knit sweater off and put it on the other Omega, and Seonghwa knew that was what probably gave him the courage to leave the safety of his own room. 

Once they were out of the bedroom, the Omega immediately put himself between Wooyoung and the Alphas, snarling and ready to defend. 

“Hyung, no, he’s one of my mates, remember? It’s ok, I trust him,” 

The Omega just looked back and forth between Yunho and Seonghwa, growling low and deep, before letting Wooyoung step to be next to him. He wouldn’t let Wooyoung be in between him and the table, however. 

“Yunho-hyung, Seonghwa-hyung, this is Hongjoong-hyung. He was the one who protected us,” 

“Shit,” Yunho whispered. The Omega, _Hongjoong,_ whipped his gaze to stare Yunho down like a laser. 

Hongjoong, as in the one Wooyoung had mentioned taking the beatings for them? The one who made sure they had enough food?

“We need your help getting this collar off,” Wooyoung said softly, “It’s probably Alpha-coded,” 

Yunho raised his hands in a symbol of peace and stayed where he was on the close side of the kitchen table. Seonghwa was glad he was on the far side, not for his sake, but hopefully the physical barrier would put his new Omega more at ease. 

Wooyoung guided Hongjoong to where Yunho sat, hands now resting in plain sight on the table. Seonghwa followed suit. 

It was amazing to see Yunho, such a quietly assertive Alpha, make himself smaller and less threatening. He let Wooyoung make the decisions, let him guide what any of them were doing. He easily bowed out and let his mate take control. He was the perfect Alpha for Wooyoung and San, he really was. 

Hongjoong tried to make himself appear bigger. He stood tall and dared anyone to make a sudden move. His breathing was frantic and he fought to maintain a steely composure, but the sharp, acrid taste of fear was clear in the air. 

“Hyung, he needs to touch it to see it. Can he?” Wooyoung asked Hongjoong gently. 

Hongjoong didn’t drop his snarl and he looked at Wooyoung like he was stupid. He then snapped his gaze to Seonghwa. Hongjoong mimed holding something small and clicking a button as if he were dumb as well. 

“Oh, the remote,” it dawned on Seonghwa. 

“Slowly,” Yunho warned. 

Seonghwa ever so cautiously reached into his pocket where the little accursed remote sat, waiting. Hongjoong and Wooyoung immediately tensed when he took it out and it took everything he had to not push a calming scent out into the air. 

He set it on the table and pulled his hands back immediately. Wooyoung sprang for it. He and Hongjoong tersely fiddled with the controls before relaxing significantly. 

“It’s just at one now, hyung,” he breathed a sigh of relief, though he didn’t completely relax. Hongjoong deflated, swaying just a little with his own relief. 

“What was it at before?” Seonghwa dared to whisper. 

“Six,” 

He swallowed a lump deep in his chest. Hongjoong had been electrocuted into silence. He could piece together that it activated when he talked, like a dog collar did. He had set it off once himself, and Hongjoong deemed threatening him important enough to set it off again several times while they were in the car. If it was at a six then a one, he could easily make the assumption the collar went up to ten. If a six made him convulse the way it did at the shelter, a ten would kill him. 

“It’s gotta be coded to only come off if an Alpha does it, I can’t even find a seam,” Wooyoung whined, “Is it ok if Yunho-hyung sees it?” 

Hongjoong didn’t do anything for a long time. After a literal minute of him thinking it over, he leaned into Yunho’s space and bared his neck, shaking violently. He jerked back when Yunho leaned in, but Wooyoung wrapped around Hongjoong’s back and held him close.

That was an insanely intimate gesture to begin with, baring your neck to someone, let alone an Omega to an Alpha. Your strongest scent glands were at the neck, but so was your windpipe and your carotid artery. The only reasons to go for someone’s neck were out of love, like to scent mark a lover or your pack or to Claim a mate, or to kill. 

Hongjoong trembled as Yunho gently grazed his fingers over the metal collar. Seonghwa couldn’t see it well, but it looked like after a moment of an Alpha handling it, some sort of latch appeared and he was able to pinch it hard. 

It popped off. 

Hongjoong’s knees gave out and he would have fallen if he weren’t held up by Wooyoung behind him. Yunho held the collar in his hands. Hongjoong’s bare neck revealed an angry, red ring of sores and blisters where metal nubs on the inside of the collar pressed into his skin. It had been on him far too long. 

Wooyoung tugged them away from the table and both the Omegas collapsed on the ground. 

“Hyung —” 

“Wooyoung, you’re _out_ , I can’t believe —” 

“Thank god, you’re safe —” 

“I was Class C, Woo —” 

“Class C? Hyung, that means —” 

“They authorized C Rejects —” 

“You’re never going back —” 

The Omegas talked over each other, crying and holding the other as close as possible. Hongjoong shoved his face in Wooyoung’s neck like he had never smelled him before and huffed his scent like coke. Wooyoung, meanwhile, doted up and down the visible bruises, kissing some and nuzzling others. He carefully avoided the open wounds on his neck, but pressed and traced countless others. 

Seonghwa was standing now, craning to see over the table. Yunho didn’t move. 

Hongjoong was safe. 

* * *

Wooyoung pulled Hongjoong down the hall. He didn’t know where to and he didn’t care. He only cared that Wooyoung was here and the collar was off. 

Before he knew it, Wooyoung shoved him to sit down on a toilet lid. Before he could blink, the other Omega was immediately rummaging through cabinets and throwing medical supplies onto the counter. 

“You need a shower,” his oldest friend stated. 

“No,” he shook flashbacks out of his mind. 

“No, it’s ok!” Wooyoung turned to look at him, “ _You_ control the temperature here! It’s not a hose, it doesn’t move!” 

“What? I… I can use a regular shower?” 

He nodded ecstatically, “I’m telling you, hyung, these alphas are so much better than what we were told we would get!” Wooyoung took him by the hand, wiping off one or two more tears, and led him to an actual bathtub and shower. 

Hongjoong hadn’t been able to use an actual shower since before he was sold to the shelter. Showers in there were either an ice cold or a steaming hose aimed at you by one of the Caretakers, or if you were one of the unlucky ones selected to be taken to one of the Caretakers’ showers with them… 

They stopped picking him ages ago, back when they decided he needed to break before he could be trained. 

The hiss of the water starting made him flinch. He was getting real tired real fast of how many things made him flinch. It was ok in here because he was with Wooyoung, but out there with the Alphas? He died a little whenever they could see his weakness. That was just more they could use against him. 

Wooyoung gently undid Hongjoong’s loose pants and removed the comfy sweater he had delicately placed on him before he stripped himself of his own clothes. 

“Is that temp ok?” Wooyoung asked, already climbing in. 

Hongjoong touched the falling water, worried it would be ice cold or boiling again, but Wooyoung was right when he said they controlled their own temperature here. It was perfect. 

Layers of grime and stress sloughed off of him as Wooyoung dutifully helped him wash. 

He stepped out of the shower and into a soft, warm towel, feeling better than he had in years. 

His pup, one of the Omegas he basically raised for four years, sat him down on the toilet once again and started looking after him as if _he_ were the pup. 

He protested, “Woo,” 

“No, shush, hyung,” he snapped with no malice, “You’ve taken care of me for so long, now it’s my turn,” 

They sat in silence as Wooyoung rubbed balm on his bruises and cleaned the blisters on his neck. Hongjoong felt his eyelids grow heavy and his head lolled to the side more than once. 

“Am I really out?” he asked, somewhere between awake and asleep. 

“You are. You made it, hyung, you got out.” 

“I’m glad we’re together again,” 

“I’ve got to go home again sometime though, hyung,” 

“You — you’re not staying?” 

“I can’t, hyung,” he wilted, “I’ve got my other mate and San at home. I can’t leave them, and you can’t stay with us. We don’t have space. But Seonghwa-hyung is good! I don’t know him as well, but he’s bought me ice cream! And he _never_ yells. We can come see you all the time, though!” 

Hongjoong nodded. He wasn’t the happiest, but he would accept being able to see his pups every once in a while. It was better than they ever imagined, anyway. 

“Come on,” Wooyoung urged once his wounds and his body were dressed, “Let’s get some food. When was the last time you ate?” 

“You don’t want the answer to that, but one of the other Omegas was able to eat twice yesterday,” 

“ _Hyung_ ,” Wooyoung whined, “I guess I don’t expect anything else, though. C’mon, let’s see if Yeosang can bring San over too!”

* * *

Hongjoong looked significantly better after a shower and after a few of his wounds had been patched up. Don’t get him wrong, Seonghwa knew he still looked like he’d been dragged through hell and back by his ankles, but without the grime and sweat and fear coating his skin, he could see the beauty underneath start to shine through. 

He still positioned himself between Wooyoung and the Alphas, though he watched Seonghwa more than Yunho. 

“San. Now.” 

Those were the first words Hongjoong had spoken to them. 

“Hyungie,” Wooyoung translated, “Could we please call San and Yeosang? Can they come over too?” 

Yunho just nodded and wordlessly handed his phone over. Wooyoung unlocked it and was calling their other two mates in an instant. (Well, honestly Seonghwa wasn’t sure if San was part of their relationship yet, but they had spent a good month courting Wooyoung once he got comfortable with them. Maybe all four of them were together, he didn’t know.) 

“Wooyoung?” Yeosang answered the video chat. 

“San, now, please,” 

San appeared a moment later. 

“Sannie —” 

Hongjoong took the phone. “San? You’re alright?” 

“Hyung? Hongjoong-hyung? You’re out?” 

The three Omegas immediately began shouting over each other in excitement. 

“San, get your shoes on!” Yeosang could be heard shouting in the background. 

They stayed on the video call until Yeosang had driven them over and they walked in Seonghwa’s front door. The Omegas immediately ran to one another and fell to the ground in a happy, crying reunion. 

Yeosang wordlessly moved to sit with Yunho and Seonghwa. 

“So he’s the hyung from the shelter,” Yeosang remarked. 

“He is,” 

“I’m glad we have them now,” Seonghwa murmured, “I’d rather it be us taking care of them than someone we don’t know. They need to be together, it looks like,” 

“They’re all safe,” 

They watched the Omegas roll together on the floor for a minute longer before Yeosang got up and headed to the kitchen. Seonghwa got up to help him, but the beta waved him back to his spot at the table. It might be best for the Alphas to stay where they were for now. 

It hurt to see how emotional this reunion was making them. Seonghwa hadn’t even met San yet and he’d been with them for nearly four months now. The skinny boy’s anxiety was so severe he didn’t leave their house for _anything_. The fact that he was here, in a strange new Alpha’s home, for Hongjoong, meant this was a huge deal. 

Their cries turned into hiccuped laughter after a little longer as they all reassured each other that they were ok. Hongjoong actually _smiled_. San and Wooyoung were pressed to either of his sides, leaning heavily on him, and the pressure and proximity allowed Hongjoong some peace of mind. He kept his back to the wall and the Alphas off to one side, but looked away from them more and more often. He didn’t close his eyes, per se, but seemed to accept that for the time being, the Alphas were ignoring them. 

He and San jumped when Yeosang accidentally clattered a pan against the counter, but San relaxed when he saw it was Yeosang and Hongjoong relaxed (though only minimally) when he saw San relax. Wooyoung was already drifting off to sleep against Hongjoong’s shoulder. 

“Pups,” Yeosang called from the kitchen, making San and Wooyoung perk up, “Come on, go clean up. Lunch is almost ready,” 

His two Omegas jumped up, Wooyoung leading San and Hongjoong back to the bathroom, while Seonghwa got up with Yunho to finish getting lunch ready. 

“There’s barely anything on this plate,” 

“That’s for Hongjoong,” 

“What?” he blinked in surprise, “No, he needs more, he’s been starved there!” It also looked like Hongjoong’s was the most bland of all of them, with just plain rice and some vegetables and chicken without much of a sauce. It didn’t even smell like it was salted or anything. 

“Hyung, no, that’ll hurt him!” Yunho gently pushed his hand away from the pot, keeping him from trying to scoop more onto the Omega’s plate. 

“I think starving him more is going to hurt him more than not!” 

Yeosang held up another small plate, “No, it’s called refeeding syndrome. If you give someone who’s been starved too much in one go, they get really sick. This is San’s, look,” 

“We didn’t know with Wooyoung, We just let him eat as much as he wanted when we got him out,” Yunho looked almost sick himself but explained carefully, “People’s bodies can shut down from shock, or they’ll puke, sometimes they can even get seizures from the overhaul on their system,”

“We had to bring Wooyoung to an Omega clinic. He hated it, and it was so soon after we got him out, but he nearly died, hyung,” 

Seonghwa sat there in awe. He had no idea. He nodded slowly and moved to bring the plates to the table. He was so out of his element here. 

“We’ve been building San up for months now. He’s finally able to keep down all three meals if they’re small and can even handle some light snacks,” Yeosang praised softly. 

He and Hongjoong had a long way to go. 

* * *

Wooyoung grabbed him and San by the arm and dragged them both back to the bathroom. He giggled the whole time, light and at ease, but Hongjoong didn’t relax until after the bathroom door was closed and the Alphas and the beta were on the other side of it. 

San tackled him in a hug once again, “I’m so glad you’re out, hyung,” 

“Are you ok? Do they treat you ok?” he checked his other pup over frantically, “You jumped earlier, at that crash,” 

“I’m ok,” San smiled even though his hands were still shaking. He smelled like nutmeg and cider and warmth. “Just startled and stressed. I haven’t really… I haven’t left the house much since I got out,” 

“Sannie hid in the linen closet for a week when he first got home,” Wooyoung explained, beaming, “And once he came out he didn’t go anywhere without me. We’re really proud he’s here now,” 

Hongjoong threw a glance over his shoulder at the closed door. “Do they hurt you? Do you trust them?” he whispered. 

Wooyoung looked offended but San lowered his head. “No, they’re good to us. I… I feel better around Yeosang. Betas are easier, y’know,” 

Hongjoong nodded and waited for him to continue. 

“I — I still get scared of if I’ll mess up, and Yunho’s just so big! But they’ve never even scolded me. I feel safer when he’s nearby because at least he won’t let anything else happen to us,” 

Wooyoung curled into San’s shoulder, “Yunho’s a big softie, I promise. He gives the _best_ hugs, you just have to give him a chance.” He turned to Hongjoong, “I’m serious, we’re mates. They treat me like… like _equals_ , hyungie. I get to choose what I want and I can tell them if I don’t like something, and _they_ ask _me_ if things are ok!”

Hongjoong nodded slowly. Wooyoung and San really did look happier than he had ever seen them (though that wasn’t saying much), and even though San was still skinny, he was looking better than ever. Hongjoong knew when he got too scared he would freeze or become unresponsive, so seeing him anxious but _here_ was incredible. They both looked like they really believed what they were saying, too. And Hongjoong knew all about the mind games Alphas could play to make you believe what they wanted you to, but… He _wanted_ to believe they were well taken care of. 

“Are there any rules?” it was his turn to look at the ground now. 

“Don’t hurt anyone,” San listed immediately. 

“Don’t go out alone,” Wooyoung recited, “And when we go out, we have to have our collar on even though it sucks and we don’t like them,” 

San made a face. “I don’t go out, though, so I never have to wear mine,” 

Wooyoung shrugged and fiddled with his, bringing it out further from under his shirt. It was a soft leather cord with a dog tag dangling at the bottom that hung loosely at Wooyoung’s chest. “It’s not too bad. They picked one that’s really soft and loose for me, so sometimes I forget it’s there,” 

“I didn’t even know you had one,” Hongjoong’s jaw dropped. 

“It’s a stupid rule that Omegas need their pack’s contact info on them,” he rolled his eyes, “But really, hyung, that’s it. It’s _so easy_ here,” 

Don’t hurt anyone and don’t go out alone? That’s it? There must be more than that! He didn’t like the collar part, he supposed, but so long as it wasn’t going to shock him anymore he could deal with it. Maybe because one of their owners is a beta that means the rules are more relaxed. Routines are more suggestions for betas instead of laws like they are with Alphas. Seonghwa was an Alpha who lived on his own; he was bound to have more strict policies. 

He nodded silently and they washed their hands to go eat lunch. 

The second they opened the bathroom door, the smell of food flooded Hongjoong’s nose. It had been so long since he had smelled something good, let alone eaten a full meal. And was it hot? There _had_ to be a catch to this. But you know what? Fuck it, he’d suck a dick _easy_ to get a meal like this. 

He led the way into the kitchen. Wooyoung couldn’t be budged from staying level with him, but San fell back easily and let Hongjoong stand between him and the Alphas. 

“Good, you’re all set?” The beta had a deep but soothing voice and Hongjoong could see why San liked him. The beta gave off a calming, clean laundry scent, and he realized that was who he had smelled on Wooyoung earlier. 

The Alphas set one last thing on the table then moved to where they had been sitting before. Wooyoung happily plopped down next to Yunho but San stood behind an empty chair for a moment. 

Was there a hierarchy? Wooyoung was dating the Alpha, did that give him permission to sit at the table? San wasn’t sitting yet. He may not have permission to sit with them. If San didn’t, Hongjoong _certainly_ didn’t. Did that have to be earned? 

The small part of his head that suggested he _be good_ earlier came back. He had been through training for years, he knew it all, he just never wanted to. With his new Alpha here, the small, timid part of him that was tired of pain whispered that maybe he could try to avoid punishment. At least in front of his guests. Seonghwa hadn’t been able to tell him what he expected from an Omega yet. It might be safest to play it by the book for now. 

He knew how to be good. He knew being good meant he would get food. He really wanted food. 

Hongjoong bowed deep at the waist until his back was level with the floor. His cheeks burned in embarrassment. He had never intentionally bowed before: it was foreign and felt wrong, but he squashed those feelings down if it would give him a chance to eat. 

“Hyung?” Wooyoung sounded shocked but Hongjoong didn’t move. Wooyoung had never seen him submit before. It made sense, since he got out over a year ago and punishments really only ramped up these past few months. Ever since their shelter became a kill shelter, Hongjoong had been forced to play along a little more than years previous. 

San didn’t say anything but swallowed loudly. He had seen Hongjoong be complicit, but never willingly give in. 

“A—are you going to come eat?” Seonghwa said quietly. There wasn’t a noise in the room but Hongjoong still had to strain to hear him. 

“The —” his voice cracked and he wanted to cry when he thought of his pups seeing him like this. He had always been so strong for them. But he was in a new place, there were two new Alphas, and Hongjoong was _tired_. “The Omega will e—eat when it pleases—” a choke caught in his throat but he did his best to keep going, swallowing it down harshly, “— pleases its Alpha.” 

“Oh my god,” someone breathed. 

The sound of a chair scraping against the ground startled him but he didn’t move. It was better to hold position than to break it. He might already be in trouble for trembling the way he did. 

Gentle hands gripped his shoulders and guided him upright. Seonghwa — the Alpha he was supposed to be appeasing — led him to a chair and pulled it out for him. 

“You’ll never have to do that again, I swear to you. You do not serve _anyone_ here,” he was soft and overpowering and intense and musky right in Hongjoong’s ear, the scent of the Alpha’s fury and concern and sadness leaching through the scent blocker he applied earlier. 

Hongjoong sat at the table with another two Omegas, a beta, and two Alphas. He sat with them to be served food. 

San had since sat down but trembled like a leaf. He reached out under the table and grabbed Hongjoong’s hand, squeezing so hard he worried his bones would snap. 

A plate was set in front of him. Steaming white rice, chicken, vegetables, and a glass of water were _there_ for him to grab. 

“You guys can eat, it’s ok,” Yunho reassured them when they didn’t start right away like Wooyoung did. San grabbed his pair of chopsticks and began eating slowly, but Hongjoong waited another second. No one was moving to take his plate away. Everyone had food. There was no fighting to see who would eat today. 

At least not yet. Food was a sacred, limited resource. Alphas ate more than Omegas anyway, what if they were still hungry when they finished? 

Hongjoong hunkered down over his plate and shoveled food into his mouth before anyone could change their minds. The hot food burned his fingertips and scorched his tongue, but it had a _flavor_ and it was _hot_ and it warmed his body from the inside out. 

“Hongjoong-ah, Hongjoong!” 

A hand pulled the plate away. He snarled and yanked it back, shoving another handful in his mouth. 

“Hongjoong!” Seonghwa took the plate from him and guided him back upright once more, hands gentle and warm on his shoulders but harsh and mean since they were taking him away from food. 

“Get back!” he snapped. 

“You need to slow down,” Seonghwa insisted, “You’ll make yourself sick,” 

“Hyung, please,” Wooyoung pleaded from across the table. 

“I’ve been starved for five years and you’re not going to let me eat when it’s in front of me?” he snapped at Wooyoung. He dimly noticed San giving him a look of horror and he knew he also just talked back to an Alpha, but he didn’t have it in him to care. 

“Five years?” Seonghwa gasped but regained composure, “I’m not going to keep it from you! You just need to go slower,” 

“You… you’re not taking it?” 

“No, this plate is for you. Just please don’t hurt yourself,” Seonghwa sat down again as his meaning sunk through to Hongjoong. He slowly gave the plate back. 

“... Oh,” 

He still scooped handfuls into his mouth, not even bothering to try the chopsticks with his shaking hands, but took time to chew it all, even stopped to drink water at one point. Before he knew it, he was done. His plate was licked clean while everyone else still had more to go. 

He didn’t want to ask for more, didn’t know if he was allowed to, but as he sat debating if he was supposed to be responsible for dishes, his stomach churned. 

His food wasn’t even rich. He knew it didn’t have any salt and it was just chicken in broth and plain rice _god when was the last time he had eaten so much he felt like he was going to burst what —_

He couldn’t stop it. The most he could do was roll out of the chair and onto the floor, hoping he could aim away from the table or something. He heaved and everything he just ate mocked him from where it landed on the floor. 

“Ah!” Seonghwa shouted in surprise. 

“What?” came Yunho’s voice. 

He had made the Alphas mad. They had allowed him to eat at the table with them, to have a full meal, and he threw it up like it was poison. Food that they deemed good enough for them to eat themselves — 

“No!” San’s voice was very close to his ear, much closer than it had been a minute before. Hongjoong blearily looked up and saw San crouched in front of him, a petrified but solid shield between him and the angry Alphas. “Don’t touch him! It was an accident!” 

“San —” 

“I’ll clean it up, I promise,” Hongjoong rushed to explain, “I’m sorry, I haven’t —” 

Of course the first thing he would do as a newly bought Omega was puke on his Alpha’s floor, and now San was defending him like Hongjoong always used to do for his pup and now they would both get beaten. 

“I’m sorry, he’s sorry, I’m sorry,” San repeated like a mantra, crouching closer to Hongjoong when everyone stood up. 

“Sannie,” Yeosang’s soft voice murmured, “It’s ok, we know. No one’s in trouble,” 

Wooyoung appeared next to them and helped them sit upright on the floor. 

Yunho crouched low from the other side of the table, lower than Hongjoong himself was. “We’re not mad, we promise. We’re worried for him,” 

“No one’s in trouble,” Yeosang repeated, reaching out for San. He went to the beta after a beat, accepting the warm hug and sniffling into his sweater. 

Hongjoong, meanwhile, wanted to sink through the floor and hide under the floorboards, never to be seen again. When he had puked at the shelter last, they punished him for making a mess and taking their food for granted and made him clean it up himself. He had just been told he was allowed to eat, what if that was taken from him? Should he apologize more? Should he rush to clean it up? 

Seonghwa appeared in his periphery. Wooyoung didn’t try to stop him and betrayal stabbed deep into his heart. 

“Hongjoong,” the Alpha called softly. 

Hongjoong immediately whipped around to bow low to the floor, low enough to nearly rub his nose in the vomit like the shelter made him do, but the Alpha caught him as he threw himself to the ground. 

He had decided. He didn’t want to get hurt anymore. It wasn’t worth it in this new space, this Alpha’s territory, to keep fighting. Throwing up made his body hurt, jolted his bruised ribs, burned his sore throat; he’d at least like to heal a little first. If he was going to be punished, he’d like it to be soon so he can be good from there and heal from everything in one go. 

So this was what it took for him to give up. This is what failure felt like. He wanted to be proud that he had held out until after the shelter, but he hadn’t even spent a full day with this new Alpha. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’ll go clean it, I swear,” his hoarse voice echoed over and over. 

“Are you ok?” Seonghwa’s voice was full of concern, “I didn’t think, I’m sorry, I should have given you your food a little more spaced out than that!” 

Did the Alpha just… apologize? To him? 

“What?” he croaked. 

“Come here, let’s get you cleaned up,” 

“But what about —” 

Seonghwa took his arm and gently helped him to his feet. Hongjoong was led to the kitchen where Seonghwa grabbed a paper towel, wet it, and began to wipe Hongjoong’s face himself. 

“What are —” 

“Do you want some water? Tea? I can make tea,” 

The Alpha was fretting over him, an Omega, and he had just puked and the scent neutralizer was wearing off so all he could smell was bergamot and stress and San wasn’t crying anymore but he was separated from his pups so soon after just getting them back and he had been so close to having a real meal with hot food and not the stupid sludge they gave him at the shelter, and by the way he was out of the shelter and was the air getting thinner in here or was Hongjoong not able to breathe anymore because maybe it was something in the food or maybe the blisters from the collar were so bad they were finally killing him —

Hongjoong saw Seonghwa’s concerned face and he only had time to wonder what could be so bad that an Alpha was concerned before the ground was suddenly rising to meet his face. 

* * *

Hongjoong swayed dangerously and Seonghwa just barely caught him before he hit his head on the counter. 

“Hwa!” Yunho shouted, making San jolt again. 

Fuck, fuck, everything was a mess. San had sent himself into a panic when Hongjoong got sick, immediately activating memories from the shelter of the trouble they must have gotten into. Hongjoong was immediately out of it, frozen with fear at his first ‘real mistake.’ Wooyoung and Yeosang rushed to San, hoping to calm him down, and meanwhile he and Yunho had to fight every instinct they had to rush in and comfort and soothe and _fix_. 

It hadn’t been until Hongjoong sat up in a daze, tears forming in his eyes and lower jaw chattering, that Seonghwa couldn’t hold himself back anymore. He rushed to his new Omega, unintentionally pumping out as many calming pheromones as he could. 

Hongjoong immediately threw himself into Seonghwa’s lap, muttering nonsensical apologies over and over. Seonghwa had done everything he could to help make him more comfortable, he brought him to the kitchen and began to clean him up so he wouldn’t think he had to help himself all alone, but it had been too much in one day. His body gave out. 

Seonghwa effortlessly lifted Hongjoong’s frail body and looked around for a second, wondering where to put him. Oh, right, the guest bedroom. Or no, it was Hongjoong’s room now, wasn’t it? He took a step out of the kitchen but someone was in front of him in an instant. 

“Seonghwa-ssi?” San stood before him, downcast, Wooyoung plastered to his side. 

“You can call me hyung, it’s ok,” 

“I’m sorry for lashing out. I’m sorry for getting between you and your Omega. I understand if you want to punish me,” 

“Sannie, that’s not what we said we were telling Seonghwa-hyung,” Wooyoung whispered worriedly. San didn’t say anything in response. 

“What did you plan on telling me? With Wooyoung?” he pressed gently, doing his best to keep his voice soft and comforting. 

“I —” he looked back and forth between the two for reassurance then stared at Seonghwa’s feet again, “I’m sorry for lashing out at you, and, and thank you for taking care of my hyung,” 

“Of course, San,” he said warmly, “It’s my job to look after him now. I know you haven’t had the best time with Alphas, but I promise I’ll take care of him,” 

“Can we bring him to the bedroom?” Wooyoung looked like he was about to burst from holding that question in for so long. 

“Already on it,” he replied. He entered Hongjoong’s bedroom and set the small Omega down in the middle of the bed. San and Wooyoung immediately clambered on, rearranging pillows and blankets and starting to make a nest around their sleeping hyung. 

“If you want more, they’re in the ottoman in the living room,” he called softly as he backed out, “I’m sorry they all smell like me,” 

San looked far more comfortable once the outline of a nest had been established, and San being comfortable meant Wooyoung was comfortable. He smiles shyly up at Seonghwa. 

“Thanks, hyung. I’ll get some in a minute,” 

Seonghwa closed the door softly behind him. And immediately sank onto the couch, scrubbing his face with a hand. Yunho and Yeosang joined him after they finished cleaning up. 

“Thank you,” he told them. 

Yunho nodded and Yeosang let out a chuckle, “Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty to do when you’re on your own later,”

* * *

Hongjoong woke up sometime later with a gently snoring Wooyoung sprawled on one side of him and San clinging to him on the other. He was warm and comfortable and wherever he was it was quiet and didn’t smell like harsh sanitizer. Soft golden light came in from under the door and around the curtains of the window. 

He could fall back asleep for a little bit. The door to this room was closed. He heard the gentle sounds of movement from outside, but nothing sounded close. 

Wooyoung and San seemed relaxed enough to stay asleep. If they felt it was alright, maybe he could at least close his eyes for a moment… 

He was back asleep seconds later.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hongjoong and Seonghwa get used to living with each other, and that means establishing some baseline rules and routines. Of course, "rules" for an affluent Alpha who has lived on his own for the longest time and "Rules" for an Omega raised in an abusive shelter are very different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains: establishment of safe words (non-sexual), description of eating disorders/issues with food, discussion of past rape/non-con and trauma associated, safe word use, and anxiety attacks. This one gets a little heavy y'all (i'm SO sorry, in-universe-hongjoong!!) 
> 
> However! This chapter ALSO contains movie nights! Joking around with each other! Cuddles!!

“Hyung?” 

Hongjoong blinked awake a second time to Wooyoung shaking him lightly. 

“Hyung, we need to go home,” San pouted on the other side of him. 

“What?” he rubbed his eyes and sat up. He was in a bed, he had to keep reminding himself, a bed for _him_ and not a mat on the floor. 

“It’s getting late and Yeosang-hyung and San-hyung want to go home,” Wooyoung explained, “Yeosangie-hyung gets tired fast when he’s not in his own space,” 

“Oh,” 

San immediately clung to him in another hug, “But we’ll be back soon! Woo asked Yunho, he said we can see you whenever we’re all free!” 

Hongjoong wanted to complain but he couldn’t when things were already so much better than he had ever hoped they would be. Instead he nodded and followed them to the front door, waving goodbye sadly when they put on their shoes and left. 

He swallowed hard, throat complaining, when the door closed behind Yeosang. It was just him and the Alpha, Seonghwa. 

Now that they didn’t have guests over, now that Hongjoong wasn’t being shown off to another Alpha and his mate, Seonghwa could show his true colors. Now, in the privacy of his own home, he’d finally show what he was really like. Hongjoong wanted to square his jaw and fight, defend himself at least, but he had already been broken. He bowed to this Alpha. He gave in already. 

Instead of his usual hatred and rage, the passion to protect the other Omegas around him, he just felt hollow. 

“Do you want dinner?” Seonghwa broke the silence, “Maybe just something small, other than lunch I don’t know when the last time you ate was, and lunch was a few hours ago” 

“Not yet?” he said slowly, testing the waters. How much arguing would it take to make him snap? 

“Ok, no problem,” the Alpha just shrugged, “I’ll get started on something in a bit then. Uh, I guess we should talk?” 

Hongjoong gave him a wary glance but followed into the living room. Seonghwa sat prim and properly on the couch, giving Hongjoong space on the other side to sit as well. He didn’t. He stood on the other side of the coffee table he had fallen into last time, keeping some distance between himself and the Alpha but also staying on his feet in case he needed to run. 

“I’m really glad you know Wooyoung and San,” he started, smiling brightly, “Wooyoung’s been doing a lot better since San got out, and I bet they’ll both be so much better now that you’re all together. Hopefully they’ll help you feel more comfortable too,” 

Hongjoong didn’t know where this conversation was going. He wasn’t getting instructions, he wasn’t being told any rules, and he wasn’t being punished. Those were really the only reasons Alphas talked to Omegas. He stayed silent and picked at his fingernails. 

“Uh, Yunho and Yeosang gave me a suggestion or two? That, uh, we should talk about some rules of the house?” 

Here it was. Hongjoong nodded but didn’t hide his expression of distaste. Honestly, with how good this Alpha seemed to be to him so far, Hongjoong wouldn’t mind one or two sexual ordinances. Seonghwa was pretty enough and seemed to be gentle if not insistent, so it wouldn’t be the worst thing that’s happened to him if he had to suck his dick or get knotted by him. 

“I think I’ve only got one, really,” 

What was it, follow every instruction without question? That’s fine, at least he wouldn’t have to guess what the Alpha wanted him to do. 

“Tell me when you’re uncomfortable, pease,” 

Hongjoong blinked. 

“What?” He couldn’t help the question that escaped him. 

“Like,” Seonghwa rushed to explain, “You don’t always have to explain everything in the moment! It can wait until later! But I’m really just going to ask that you be completely honest with me,” 

Hongjoong just screwed up his face in confusion. What the hell kind of order was that? ‘Do the dishes’ ok he can do that. ‘Cook every meal for him’ that was easy, he always liked (read: hated the least) the cooking classes at the shelter. ‘Perform sexual acts?’ Pfft, been there, done that. He didn’t like it, but he’d gotten good at most everything over the years. 

‘Be honest?’ What the fuck did that mean? His look of confusion must have been enough for Seonghwa to notice because he started rambling again. 

“I have no idea what you’ve been through. I only know what I’ve seen and what I’ve learned from Wooyoung and now San. So I need to know if you’re ok with things, anything really,” 

This had to be some kind of test. There’s no way it wasn’t. That was the only solution his brain was giving him. “I am alright with whatever my Alpha says we’re doing,” he stated hesitantly. Was this what Seonghwa wanted to hear? Fuck, he hated the guessing games the most. 

“No, Hongjoong-ah,” he sounded like his heart was breaking, “I swear, those people at the shelter messed with you so much. I’m not a dictator, I don’t _want_ you to go along with whatever I say. I want to know what you think,” 

Hongjoong just blinked vapidly. “What I… Think?” 

“Yeah. Like if it’s something you’d want to do, or if I’m crossing a line.” When Hongjoong didn’t answer, Seonghwa tried again, “Ok, how about this. Have you heard of the color system?” 

“I can color,” he stated, confused but defensive, “I’m good at art.” He had no idea what the Alpha was talking about. 

He shook his head gently, “No, I mean like… Ok, so it’s a sex thing, but it’s also not,” 

Oh ok. He knew sex. 

“It’s a consent thing,” 

Aaaaaannnnddd he was lost again. 

Seonghwa cleared his throat, “So you know in a car there’s the traffic lights? Green for go, yellow for slow down, red for stop?” 

He hadn’t driven since before the shelter but yes Hongjoong knew what traffic lights were. He glared at Seonghwa for thinking he was dumb, but he also slowly sat on the edge of the armchair on his side of the coffee table. There wasn’t quite a connection from sex to driving that he could see, but he assumed Seonghwa would get there. 

“We’re going to use that to talk about if you want to do things. Um…” he thought for a second, “Ok. San likes hugs, right? He would probably be green with hugging you or Wooyoung, yeah?” 

Hongjoong nodded once it was obvious Seonghwa wanted an answer. San had cuddled him more times in the past day than he’d ever been allowed to at the shelter and they both _loved it_. 

“Would he be ok giving Yunho a hug? Maybe, maybe not, right? He trusts him enough to be around him, but a hug is a bit iffy, yeah?” 

Hongjoong nodded slowly. Maybe not right now, not after everything that happened today, but Hongjoong could see San wanted to trust Yunho enough to hug him. He was tempted by Wooyoung’s dreamy explanations of his cuddling skills, but not quite there yet. (Hongjoong did admit, the stories Wooyoung had told him about how warm a nice Alpha was had been very tempting, but Hongjoong would never let that happen. He was glad Wooyoung got something good, though.) 

“So that would be a yellow. He might be ok sitting next to him, not hugging him, but it needs to be on his terms. Yunho would have to watch very carefully to see if San becomes uncomfortable,” 

That made sense. A yellow was a warning that San was nervous. One wrong move and it’d be over, but just the right moves and he’d do it again, most likely. 

“Now what about asking San to hug me?” 

Hongjoong unintentionally drew back, disgust curling his lip. 

Seonghwa laughed. “I know, he doesn’t even want to get close to me. He doesn’t know me, and even though Yunho and Yeosang are my friends, that doesn’t mean he has to be as comfortable with me as he is with them,” he grinned but quickly turned serious, “That's red. You tell me something’s red and we stop _immediately_.”

“... Stop?” he was flabbergasted. 

“Stop. No questions asked, we’re done. If we’re out somewhere, we go home right away,” 

“Really?” 

“I’m serious. No punishment, _never_ a punishment for telling me your color. But if you say red, we stop exactly where we are,” 

“Even if —” 

_“Even if,”_ Seonghwa didn’t even listen to what he was about to ask, “You have the final say,” 

He swallowed hard and asked again. “ _I_ do? … No punishment?” 

“Never. I don’t do punishments, I won’t punish you for anything, but _especially_ for telling me a color. I swear to you,” 

Hongjoong didn’t quite believe him even though his body was screaming at him to trust the Alpha. Maybe it was because the air was slowly filling with the smell of Alpha, Seonghwa’s concern growing and trying to comfort anyone in the vicinity. Hongjoong’s head felt a little fuzzy but he ignored it. 

“What if I lie?” he asked, downcast. Seonghwa said no punishment, but the one rule was that Hongjoong tell the truth. Breaking a rule was a big deal, breaking a rule always meant a punishment. “What if I tell you the wrong one on purpose?” 

“Because you want me to be happy? Because you’re saying what you think I want to hear? I’ll be disappointed,” he shrugged and Hongjoong flinched, “But _I don’t do punishments_. You will never be hurt again, I promise,” 

He really wanted to believe that. There were a lot of things that made him start to think the shelter had been wrong, but he really didn’t know anymore. 

“Should we give it a try?” Seonghwa asked softly, bringing Hongjoong’s attention back to the living room, “Are you ok sitting on the other side of the table from me? What color is that, having space between us?” 

Hongjoong watched Seonghwa warily, unsure what answer he wanted to hear, but Seonghwa also said he wanted Hongjoong to tell the truth. 

So then what color was he feeling? He wouldn’t say he was comfortable here, he wasn’t San-hugging-Wooyoung comfortable, but he much preferred this than being closer to the Alpha. 

“Green?” he didn’t look Seonghwa in the eye. 

“Good job, thank you for telling me,” Seonghwa praised, warm and genuine. Hongjoong’s stomach squirmed. He couldn’t tell if it was in a good way or a bad way. “Now what if I asked you to come sit on the couch with me? I’m not asking you to now,” he rushed to explain, “But what color would that be?” 

“Yellow,” he answered immediately. That one was easy, and Seonghwa kept his posture open and calm. He didn’t seem upset at hearing Hongjoong didn’t want to be close to him. 

“Thank you, Hongjoong-ah,” Seonghwa beamed, “You’re doing such a good job. I want you to keep using these, ok? And if I run into any for myself, I’ll use them too, how does that sound?” 

The Alpha was going to hold himself to the same standards as he held his Omega? He was absolutely insane, but again, maybe he was just trying to butter Hongjoong up. But for now, he would follow the one rule in place here. It was easy and so far Seonghwa had done everything he had said he would do. Hongjoong was _tired_ of being hurt. 

“Green,” he answered softly, ducking his head and picking at his fingers again. He felt Seonghwa’s smile from across the room. 

* * *

It made Seonghwa’s heart absolutely ache to see how much this Omega had been hurt. Hongjoong insisted on helping with the dishes, and Seonghwa wasn’t about to snap at him to stay where he was, so he let Hongjoong follow him into the open kitchen and let him wash the pans and plates by hand. Seonghwa didn’t even bother telling him he had a dishwasher. Instead, he just took the plates where Hongjoong set them down on the counter, dried them, and put them away. He did it much slower, much more calmly, after the first one clanged against the others in the cabinet and made Hongjoong jump. 

“How about a snack?” he asked once the dishes were done, backing out of the kitchen so Hongjoong had a straight shot to run to the bedroom if he wanted to. “Something light, like crackers? Popcorn?” 

The Omega’s stomach growled in response. Hongjoong still hadn’t said how long it had been since he ate last. 

“Yellow?” Hongjoong said timidly. This wasn’t the same Omega as in the car earlier today, but he had also been through so much in eight little hours. He wouldn’t be surprised if Hongjoong was overwhelmed and in shock and sticking to the basics for now. 

“Are you scared of getting sick again?” 

Hongjoong nodded, making himself small. 

“It’s ok, that’s why we’re gonna start slow,” he soothed and made a decision so as not to overwhelm him even more, “I’ll make popcorn and I can give you a smaller bowl, one that you can refill as many times as you like,” 

Hongjoong didn’t answer, but stepped out of the kitchen so Seonghwa could get to work. He just made plain popcorn, only air popped and not much more than that, and did his best to stay as calm as he could even when the Omega flinched lightly when the kernels started popping. 

“Do you want to watch a movie?” he asked over his shoulder, “We can sit on opposite sides of the coffee table, you can be on the chair so you’re closer to your bedroom,” 

“Green,” came a mumbled reply moments later. 

Seonghwa hummed. “Let’s see… You said you’ve been in there for five years? You’ve seen the Avengers, right?” He could physically feel the Omega perk up behind him. He smiled to himself. “Have you seen Civil War?” 

“Civil War?” Hongjoong echoed. 

He looked over his shoulder. “Let’s start here,” he began with a grin, “Who do you like better, Captain America or Iron Man?” 

* * *

Hongjoong liked popcorn. It didn’t hurt his stomach as bad as the greasy chicken and heavy rice. Seonghwa had given him a small bowl, only as big as his own cupped hands, but set a large bowl on the coffee table between them. 

“Go ahead and refill whenever you like,” he had said, “I’ll be doing the same,” 

He didn’t think Seonghwa even knew what he was doing when he said things like that. When he put himself to the same standards he held Hongjoong. It made his head spin and stomach churn and hands shake all at the same time. 

Seonghwa was like no other Alpha Hongjoong had ever seen — at the shelter, at least. He distantly remembered before the shelter, when he still lived at home, how there had been nice Alphas. His neighbor always made sure he was well fed when he went to go play with her dog. One of his teachers in school was an Alpha, and he made sure that each student understood the concept before they moved on, even the students who fell behind in other classes. 

But the shelter taught him that every Alpha was hiding a dark side. No matter how nice one seemed at first, they all reached a point where they’d get too angry, too upset. The only thing was that Hongjoong had gotten good at figuring new Alphas out. They had tells on what they were going to do; Alphas who liked to berate and abuse with words would start with sweet little phrases about how they’d ‘get along so well’ or how he’d ‘be such a good Omega in the future.’ Alphas who used their body to intimidate would get close to his space before he was even being punished, letting him know how strong they were, how big. 

Seonghwa didn’t do that. He didn’t have any tells. He didn’t even have ones that the Take-Away-er had, the one who liked to strip him of everything and anything and leave him locked, naked, in a blank white room with only the sound of the fan to keep him occupied. That one was the worst. He always passed the time in there by imagining what it would be like to be free. 

Sometimes he imagined breaking out and killing all the Alphas who had hurt him. The Director, the Yeller, the Take-Away-er. The Teacher. The Doctor. Sometimes it felt nice to imagine what it would be like to claw them apart, watch them suffer half as much as he had. 

Other times even the thought of hurting another person a fraction of how he had been hurt was too much to bear. Those days, he imagined what it would be like to be free and live only with other Omegas. They would smell nice and there would always be warm blankets and food and everyone would be able to cuddle as much as they wanted. They could be outside in the sunlight or sit under a tree without worrying about bad posture or not doing a chore or looking at someone the wrong way. 

Those daydreams made him cry sometimes. 

What would life have been like, he wondered other days, if he wasn’t an Omega? Or even if he was a regular Omega, not a Purebred from a long line of male Omegas? To just be treated like a regular person instead of meat to be sold to the highest bidder? 

He had been told how much he was worth one day. A Caretaker was complaining that for how expensive Hongjoong was, he should be paid more. Apparently, regular Omegas at that shelter sold for almost three million won. San and Wooyoung were somewhere around that price. Hongjoong was worth six million won, and men in his family had been trained at this shelter for generations. 

He knew he would be an Omega growing up. There was the slight chance he would be a beta, like his mom, but there hadn’t been a first born son who wasn’t an Omega since his great-great-great-grandfather. He had always been told to listen to what he was told, to give Alphas the respect they deserved, but he never saw why. When he got to the shelter and was _forced_ to submit, he vowed he never would. 

But Seonghwa wasn’t forcing him to do anything. Seonghwa was asking him if he wanted to do things, if he was comfortable, like how he had been treated before he presented. 

“Hongjoong-ah?” Seonghwa asked gently, snapping him out of the blank stare he had apparently fixed on the Alpha instead of the movie. 

He flushed and snapped his gaze back to the movie, not saying a word. 

Idly, he wondered if Seonghwa would stay this nice when his heat started or if he would go feral like the Alphas at the shelter had. Maybe that was what it would take to break him. 

Hongjoong didn’t know if that made him happy or sad. That was happening a lot lately. 

* * *

Seonghwa felt a heavy gaze on him partially through the movie. He turned to see Hongjoong staring at him, no, staring _through_ him, deep in thought. The Omega was adorable, even if he seemed a little stressed; he chewed on his pinkie finger and fidgeted his toes back and forth. 

“Hongjoong-ah?” he tried to call Hongjoong back to the present, not sure if he was thinking about good things or bad things. The Omega snapped his stare back to Seonghwa himself and caught what he had been doing. He turned away in a flash, back to the movie, but with his face lit up by the screen, Seonghwa could see a pink tinge creep across his cheeks. 

The faint smell of honey drifted through the air the longer the movie continued. Was that Hongjoong’s scent? Was the stench of odor neutralizer from the shelter finally wearing off? It was warm and soft and grew stronger the longer the movie played. 

He watched the Omega as he became more and more relaxed. Where he sat sideways in the armchair, feet on the cushion and knees under his chin, Seonghwa watched as he slowly let his knees lean against the back of the chair. Eventually, he stretched one leg out to hang over the arm. After another few scenes, the other leg joined. 

Seonghwa shifted in his seat on the couch and Hongjoong jumped to watch him again, but visibly relaxed once he realized Seonghwa was just getting comfortable. 

Just at the climax of the movie, as Tony Stark goes to Siberia, Hongjoong gave out a soft hum. The Omega had fallen asleep in the chair, gently snoring. His head lolled to the side, arms still folded across his chest but legs hanging limp over the arm of the chair. He chewed his lip in his sleep, gently kneading it between his teeth, and sighed softly every once in a while. He twitched often, body telling him he couldn’t fall asleep too deeply, but Seonghwa’s heart was glowing to see that Hongjoong could fall asleep with him here. 

He cleared his throat of a stray popcorn kernel and Hongjoong blinked one eye awake like a cat, staring directly at him, before evaluating that nothing too big had happened and fell back asleep. 

When the credits rolled, Seonghwa got up as quietly as he could and went to the ottoman, searching for any blankets Wooyoung hadn’t taken earlier for their Omega nest. He couldn’t find one, so he tiptoed to his bedroom and grabbed one of the fuzzy throw blankets he liked to wrap himself up in on cold mornings. He wasn’t comfortable going into the Omega’s new bedroom, invading what should be a safe space for him, even if it was to get something for him. 

Hongjoong blinked awake again when Seonghwa came back into the living room, scanning frantically for where Seonghwa had gone, but panic faded to wariness when he found him walking back into the room with a soft blanket. The want was clear in his eyes though he said nothing. 

Seonghwa stood at his feet, careful to stay a good enough distance away, and lifted the blanket with a silent, questioning eyebrow. Hongjoong nodded after deciphering what he was asking. 

He tossed the blanket up to float delicately down onto the Omega’s skinny form. As it settled, Hongjoong squirmed, tucking his legs back into the chair, though this time it was to be under the blanket. 

“Color?” he whispered. 

“Green.” 

Maybe the shadows from the TV screen were making his eyes play tricks on him, but Seonghwa swore Hongjoong had the barest hint of a smile on his face. 

Seonghwa took his spot back on the couch and started up an episode of a soft baking show. 

———

Seonghwa woke up the next morning to the smell of breakfast wafting through the air. He had gone back to bed after an episode of the baking show, giving Hongjoong a rundown on how to turn off the TV and that the bedroom _really was his_. He didn’t think too much of it and went to bed, exhausted from the unexpected day he had yesterday. 

His plan for today was going to be to do some online shopping for his new housemate and maybe see how much Hongjoong wanted to talk to him, but he was quickly learning he shouldn’t assume anything where this Omega was concerned. 

Seonghwa waddled out of his bedroom, still half asleep, and was immediately met with a mug of coffee pressed into his hands. 

“Good morning, Alpha, I hope you slept well,” Hongjoong bowed deep and ushered Seonghwa to the table. 

“Hmph?” he blinked, brain fighting to catch up, “Joong-ah?” 

Hongjoong set a plate of food down in front of him and bowed again, backing away slowly. Seonghwa stared at the plate closest to him blankly. 

“Is everything alright?” 

“Did you make breakfast?” he asked, bleary-eyed. 

“Yes, as a thank you for yesterday,” Hongjoong explained formally, “Your kindness is appreciated,” 

Seonghwa stared at the cup of coffee as if it would give him answers. “Did you eat?” 

“I — huh?” 

“Have you eaten?” 

Hongjoong swallowed. “Oh, um, no, I’ll eat — the, uh, the Omega will —” 

“— No, no, none of that,” he interrupted, “C’mon, sit,” 

Seonghwa wasn’t really thinking through what he was doing. He was still mostly asleep, the coffee wasn’t giving him any answers, and he had a guest in his house who was uncomfortable and hadn’t eaten. Not much was running through his squeaky-wheeled brain, but all three of those were unacceptable. Maybe not the ‘asleep’ part, though. Sleep sounded good. 

Hongjoong tentatively sat down in the chair next to him and Seonghwa’s Alpha gave a pleased hum, happy that the Omega was close to him. He moved the small plates to be halfway in between the two of them and began to eat. 

“Mmh,” he said around a mouthful of food, already standing up to go to the kitchen, “Sorry, do you want chopsticks? Or a spoon?” 

“I can get it!” 

“No, too late,” he dismissed him, gesturing for Hongjoong to go sit back down, “I’m sorry, I should have been up earlier. You didn’t have to make breakfast,” 

He grabbed a pair of chopsticks and sat back down, going straight for the coffee. 

“It’s my duty to?” 

Seonghwa scoffed. “Uh-huh, and it’s my duty to patrol my territory, keeping rival suitors from seeking your hand. Here, want some?” He pushed another plate closer to Hongjoong and tucked in himself. It was delicious, after all. 

After breakfast had been devoured, the coffee finally hit Seonghwa’s brain. 

“Oh shit, Joong, I’m so sorry,” 

Hongjoong jumped at the sudden noise but looked at Seonghwa warily. “No need to apologize, Alpha, but what for?” 

“You didn’t have to make breakfast,” he stood and began to bustle around, collecting dishes and leftovers, “And I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to push you to eat. Are you feeling alright? I don’t want you to have too much too soon. Did you sleep alright? Did you end up staying in the living room or did you go back to your room?” 

He knew he was rambling, but it was worth it to see some of the tension leave Hongjoong’s shoulders. 

“It’s alright, thank you, Alpha,” 

“Please just call me Seonghwa. Or hyung, if you like,” 

Hongjoong looked him in the eye, searching for something. “Thank you, Seonghwa-ssi,” 

Seonghwa stifled a yawn. “We’ll get there,” 

That’s it. His goal for the day was to make Hongjoong as comfortable as he could. His Alpha was bristling at how sad and scared the Omega was. Every instinct told him to bring the smaller man close, to preen and scent and soothe and cuddle, but he knew that wouldn’t be helpful, especially not now. But they’d work their way up to it. 

Step one, probably dishes? Step two was to get Hongjoong clothes of his own. He probably didn’t want to keep wearing Seonghwa’s pajamas forever. Then they’d need decorations for his room, and a collar, and what were Hongjoong’s hobbies? Art? He mentioned that earlier… 

While Seonghwa was lost in thought, still waiting for the coffee to fully kick in, Hongjoong got up and brought some of the dishes to the kitchen. 

“It’s alright!” he scrambled to get up, “I can do them!” 

“I — I,” Hongjoong stammered. He curled back a bit when Seonghwa got too close, trying to take the dishes from his hands, but not nearly as bad as last time. Seonghwa pulled back much slower than he came up to him. 

“Sorry, um,” he stammered too, not sure of how to proceed, “Do you… do you _want_ to? You don’t _have_ to. Er — here! How about I show you how to use the dishwasher?” 

Hongjoong made a noise that took him a second to identify as a snort. He looked back to the Omega in surprise. 

“I… I know how to use a dishwasher,” he had a small smile playing across his lips as he looked anywhere but Seonghwa, “We’re just… told hand washing is better,” 

“Oh. Well. You’re, uh, more than welcome to use the dishwasher,” 

It was awkward. It was a weird and stilted conversation and his cheeks burned, but the knot in his chest loosened when Hongjoong dipped his head again and gave another short huff of laughter. 

* * *

If this was what living with the Alpha was like, Hongjoong could live with it. Seonghwa wanted him to clean up after himself and help out with some chores, and Hongjoong was more than happy to have clear expectations. 

He was still waiting for the other shoe to drop, for Seonghwa to finally get upset with something he did, but it was also becoming easier and easier to forget about that. What, with the way Seonghwa smiled easily and did his best to make him laugh, it wasn’t like it was hard to let his guard down just a little. 

He was being fed regularly. His plates were still much smaller than Seonghwa-hyung’s, but he kept down one meal and one snack a day now, and hyung had him drinking some sports drinks in between. 

In their quiet moments, he remembered he was supposed to be on alert again and he tensed, but Seonghwa-hyung got really good at figuring out when Hongjoong needed space. Hongjoong would take a breath in too sharply or sit too straight and he would watch him for a moment before softly getting up and moving across the room or changing his body language to be more open, more vulnerable. 

Honestly, as the days passed, Hongjoong was maybe able to… Relax was too strong of a word, but Hongjoong was able to feel calm around his hyung. He kept his distance and didn’t make any sharp movements and kept his voice low and soothing. And Hongjoong _refused_ to admit it, but his scent was nice. Seonghwa-hyung’s Alpha was always so pleased whenever Hongjoong ate or when he gave a color, filling the room with the scent of a cup of black tea. He glowed when Hongjoong offered a tentative opinion, beamed when he politely declined a small but meaningful invitation. 

Hongjoong liked… He liked being on _this_ end of an Alpha’s attention; he could phrase it that way. 

———

So of course when something did finally happen after nearly a week of tense but slow bonding, it shook Hongjoong a little more than when he was in a routine at the shelter. 

“Excuse me, Hongjoong-ah, but I need to take this,” Seonghwa excused himself from their setup at the kitchen table where they were looking at bedroom decorations (a few feet apart) on his laptop, ringing phone in hand. 

Seonghwa got up and took the call, immediately growing tense. 

“Kim-ssi? This is my personal number. Is everything alright? No, I’m perfectly confident in Jungwoo’s ability to keep the company running for a while. … Yes, I really am working from home for now,” 

There was silence for a moment before Seonghwa’s scent turned spicy with anger, “Yes, Kim-ssi, he is an Omega. He is also a masters degree ahead of you in education and has four years seniority over you,” 

Seonghwa listened to the person on the other end of the line for a moment before a soft growl left his throat. Hongjoong flinched. 

“Need I remind you, _advisory agent Kim,_ that Park Comm Intel has zero tolerance for discrimination, and, _advisory agent Kim,_ you are here on an _at-will contract?_ … Now will that be all? Good. I better not get a call like this again, and certainly not on my personal phone,” 

Panic whirled in Hongjoong’s mind. He knew, somewhere, that Seonghwa wasn’t angry with him. This phone call made him stressed and that’s what turned his mood sour, but the only thing he could think of at the moment was _there’s an angry Alpha. He is an Omega. Omegas are for sex and for chores and for beating._

_Hongjoong didn’t want to get beat._

_There weren’t more chores to do._

_… He could relieve the Alpha’s stress._

* * *

Seonghwa ran a hand through his hair as he hung up on that damn consultant. He knew taking Kim on would be an issue when they first considered him, but who would have known it’d show like this? 

He turned around, fully ready to throw his phone on the couch and leave it there to keep looking through decor with Hongjoong, but stopped dead. 

Hongjoong was on the ground on his knees, mouth open and eyes clenched shut arms holding one another behind his back.

“Hongjoong?” he knew his voice shook but Seonghwa couldn’t help the cold fear that began to settle in his stomach. 

“Please allow me to relieve your stress, Alpha,” 

“What?” 

“I… I’ve been able to take a knot in my mouth, Alpha. You — you don’t need to,” he swallowed hard, “Don’t need to worry about me,”

Nope. No. He was so done with this _shit “training”_ from the shelter. It absolutely burned him inside to see what they had forced Hongjoong to do, let alone countless others, and now _this_ on top of it? 

He felt himself getting angry. He knew he was shit at controlling his scent when he was angry, and Hongjoong didn’t need that. But there was no way in hell he was going to _fuck Hongjoong’s mouth like this._

“What the fuck?” he hissed, letting his phone fall to the couch and knotting his hands in his hair. “No. Nope, no. _Red_ , I am not doing this,” 

He turned on his heel and all but ran up the stairs to his own bedroom and closed the door behind him. 

* * *

Hongjoong only peeked an eye open when he heard Seonghwa-hyung’s bedroom door close and stay closed. 

Did… did Seonghwa-hyung leave? He thought he heard him say ‘red,’ but that had to be something about the situation. He needed to grab something first, maybe, to make things better for himself. No Alpha would ever turn down a warm, waiting hole, especially if it’s from an offering Omega. 

But as the minutes ticked on and Seonghwa didn’t come back, Hongjoong’s knees ached more and more on the hardwood floor. He switched his hands to be from behind his back to support his weight in front of him. It technically broke Position, but it had been nearly ten minutes by now. 

Did Seonghwa not want him? 

Maybe he wasn’t pretty enough for the Alpha. He knew he was bruised and skinny but that hadn’t stopped any of them before, and he had been healing really well this past week. 

Maybe he wasn’t submissive enough for the Alpha. He should be more thankful that Seonghwa had been nice so far. Maybe it was because the Alpha felt he didn’t deserve to be fucked yet. He needed to work his way up to sex as a thanks. 

Did the Alpha think he was revolting? There’s no way an Alpha would go take care of themselves when there was an Omega nearby. He certainly wasn’t getting something to bring back down, that’s for sure, so was he getting off himself because he didn’t want Hongjoong? 

He made the decision to be good. Being good was going to be easy this time. He broke so early in this new environment that what was another layer of humiliation, what was offering his mouth when he already bowed for food like a servant on the first day? 

But it hurt that the first time _he chose_ to submit instead of being forced is also the first time he was rejected. 

Oh fuck, what if he was going to be Rejected because of this? Should he have offered his ass? Was the Alpha going to give him back to the shelter because he didn’t make the correct level of offering? 

Hongjoong’s breathing picked up and his heart thrummed in his chest. He was sorry. For once, he was genuinely sorry he didn’t do it right. He liked the freedom and the luxuries he had here, he didn’t want to lose those. He supposed he would be alright with dying now that he knew his pups were safe and happy. He’d rest a little easier knowing that, at least. But that didn’t mean he _wanted_ to die. He was a Class C, after all, ‘no hope of retraining.’ ‘Euthanisation Order enacted.’

His elbows gave out and he fell softly to the floor. If his Alpha came back, he could get back into Position quickly enough. For the moment, he would just stay here. Just until he heard his Alpha. 

After a few more agonizing, spiraling minutes, Hongjoong heard the bedroom door open again. He weakly pushed himself back up onto his hands and knees. 

Footsteps came softly down the stairs. He needed to get back into Position or he would be in trouble, but his arms wouldn’t cooperate. 

“Hongjoong?” he heard the Alpha call. Yes, that was his name, he registered dimly. Not 1117, _Hongjoong_. 

Hands grabbed his shoulders. The Alpha was on the floor with him. Alphas shouldn’t do that. 

“Hongjoong, fuck, are you ok? Were you like this the whole time I was up there? Shit,” 

The smell of Alpha flooded his nose while someone helped him up to his feet. 

“‘M sorry,” he mumbled, breath coming in short pants, “Should’a, should’a been better,” 

He was set down on something soft. Moments later, something heavy settled on his shoulders. It smelled like jasmine and cider and Omegas. He felt himself lower back into his own body. 

“Can I touch you?” 

“Mmm,” he hummed an affirmation. He was here for the Alpha to use, of course he could touch. 

Instead of being maneuvered to have access to his ass, Hongjoong was wrapped tighter in the blanket that smelled like Omegas and in something that smelled like an Alpha too. He smelled black tea but worry made it bitter and sharp. 

A hand threaded through his hair. It made tingles spread down his scalp and slowly rooted him back in his body. 

“ — so sorry, I didn’t know you were still down here, I shouldn’t have left like that —” 

Someone was talking to him, whispering reassurances and rubbing circles on his arm. It took Hongjoong a moment to realize he was being held by Seonghwa. 

“‘Hwa?” 

“Hongjoong?” Seonghwa sounded excited under him but did his best to keep his voice calm, “Hey, there we go, come back to me, ok? You’re ok,” 

Hongjoong had been wrapped in one of the blankets from his bed and nestled into Seonghwa’s side. The Alpha’s scent softened considerably when Hongjoong looked up at him, melting from bitter tea into something soft and cosy. 

“Alpha,” he weakly let out, ready to explain, but he was cut off. 

“I had no idea, I’m so sorry, Hongjoong,” the Alpha clutched his head tight to his chest. 

“It’s ok, you can use me,” 

“ _No_ , Hongjoong, _never,”_

He looked up at the Alpha. It hurt to hear that he’d been turned down so thoroughly when he was actually trying his best. “Please don’t Reject me, I can please you some other way.” Seonghwa hadn’t hurt him yet. He didn’t want to lose the privilege of being in a place without pain. 

Seonghwa looked confused. “Reject you? Oh my god, no, Hongjoong I’m never sending you back there,” 

“Then,” his throat started to close as his vision grew blurry with tears, “Why did you leave? What did I do wrong? Was my posture not good enough?”

“Hongjoong,” Seonghwa soothed, hands petting over his hair and down his arms again, “I called red. Not because you didn’t do it right, but because I wasn’t comfortable,” 

Hongjoong just made a confused noise, looking up at the Alpha with wide eyes. Thankfully, he understood and explained more. 

“You tried to be good, didn’t you?” 

He nodded, throat growing tight with the need to cry. 

“I’m not comfortable with sex when you feel like you need to do it. When _either_ of us think we _need_ to do it. I only want sex if it’s something we both _want_.” 

_Oh._

Seonghwa didn’t reject Hongjoong like _that_. He left because he wasn’t comfortable. Moreover, he left because he knew Hongjoong wasn’t offering willingly, he was offering out of training. 

“The shelter fucked you up so bad, Hongjoong-ah. You should _never_ have to have sex unless you _want_ it. Did you want to, or did you want to please an Alpha?” 

Thoughts were hard at the moment, but the more Seonghwa rubbed little circles on his shoulder and spoke in that low tone, the easier they became. 

He began to answer that of course he wanted to, he _chose_ to drop to his knees, he _gave up willingly_ , but then he registered what he was really being asked. 

“... Wanted to please you,” 

“Thank you for telling me, you’re doing such a good job,” Seonghwa whispered into his hair, “You _do not_ have to please me. What pleases me is when you’re happy and healthy. Us laughing earlier today about the ugly decorations, _that_ pleased me,” 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah. I’m so sorry, I didn’t even think about what removing myself from the situation would do to you,” 

Hongjoong hummed again. He was becoming more aware that he was _cuddling_ an Alpha, but he almost didn’t mind. It was Seonghwa. He was gentle and soft. ( _So far_ , the little voice in the back of his mind supplied. _Shut up_ , he told the little voice in the back of his mind.) 

“Are you still red, hyung?” he asked Seonghwa softly. 

“No, I’m not. I’m worried about you, but I’m not red. You?” 

“Kinda yellow, kinda green,” he answered. 

“Do you want to tell me why?”

He liked that Seonghwa asked what he thought. “Hugs make me feel better. ‘S weird that I’m hugging you. My head’s fuzzy though,” 

Seonghwa hummed. “I bet, you’re coming down from an anxiety attack. Do you want me to move?” when Hongjoong didn’t answer because he didn’t know how to, he liked being close but didn’t like to think about how much he liked it, Seonghwa rephrased the question. “We can stay here, do you want to watch something like this?” 

That was a much easier question. “Great British Baking Show, please,” 

Seonghwa smiled. It made Hongjoong smile a little too. “Sounds good to me. We’re starting season two now, right?” 

“No, we started two last time. We’re on like episode three or four of two,” 

“Mmm, right,” 

Seonghwa didn’t exactly stop hugging Hongjoong but also didn’t exactly move away. He reclined on the couch and put his arm up on the back, letting Hongjoong shuffle as close or as far away as he wanted. Hongjoong adjusted the blanket to settle around his shoulders and maybe he let a little bit of it cover Seonghwa’s lap. It was his safe blanket, it smelled like Omegas and himself and sleep, but… Black tea went well with jasmine and cinnamon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's something that i really want to point out about when im writing hongjoong's perspective! i was an english major and im an editor now so this comes easy to me, but i want you all to see if you can tell where hongjoong starts to get uncomfortable based on how he thinks about seonghwa. i do it twice in this chapter. 
> 
> when he's comfortable, he calls him 'hyung' or 'seonghwa-hyung,' but as anxiety and training take over, hongjoong doesn't even realize it but he stops using 'hyung' and eventually stops using seonghwa's name altogether. he becomes 'an Alpha' or 'the Alpha,' even once being called HIS Alpha. then as he calms down again, 'the Alpha' becomes 'someone,' who then becomes 'seonghwa' who then turns back into 'hyung.' 
> 
> i just think these little details make a story like this super interesting and i want everyone to be able to see patterns like this! i've definitely had times with books where it completely goes over my head but it's so cool once you can see it!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hongjoong is getting comfortable being around Seonghwa, but he's not an idiot: he knows his heat is coming soon. The question is, will the Alpha respect his boundaries? Or will he "help" like the shelter used to? 
> 
> Meanwhile, Seonghwa has some questions of his own for Wooyoung. Namely, 'is Hongjoong ok because he's hoarding every blanket in the house and won't let me have my fuzzy socks back.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains: mentions of past abuse (no details, just a few examples of what happened), and the big thing is they encounter an ex-abuser in the wild. No interaction, no more trauma! But like as someone who's been through that, please be aware that they do see someone from the shelter and Hongjoong does panic. If you want to skip it, stop reading where Hongjoong is thinking about his pedigree and you can pick it up again when it switches back to Hongjoong's point of view after they get home. 
> 
> It also contains: CUDDLES! Yes, there are voluntary cuddles in this chapter!! There is also sex (I TOLD Y'ALL THEY'D BOINK!) But please be aware that with the sex, there is power play, mocking language, and topping from the bottom (I don't want to spoil too much, but this is the space where I give full disclosure of what comes in this chapter. But it's good, it's an empowering power play!) Use of the word pussy and cunt, but no feminization otherwise. And, as always, they check in with consent constantly <3

“Hey Hongjoong-ah?” Seonghwa called from the living room, “Um, why are there blankets all over the floor?” 

Another few days passed since the safeword incident, and they had been the best yet. Hongjoong stopped bowing when Seonghwa entered the room. He didn’t refer to himself as ‘the Omega’ and he started to answer Seonghwa’s ramblings with his own thoughts. 

Yesterday, Hongjoong had even snapped at Seonghwa, telling him to leave him alone! Seonghwa had never been so proud. Of course, Hongjoong scurried out of his bedroom after he calmed down, apologizing profusely for yelling at him, but after a brief talk-through from both of them, they were right back to making jokes and bickering. 

Hongjoong was getting comfortable and Seonghwa _loved it_. He never thought one of his boundaries would be hit first, but he was so glad that’s what it took to make Hongjoong realize Seonghwa wasn’t like the other Alphas he knew.

Hongjoong felt comfortable here, which meant the house was becoming his as well. A few of the decorations that couldn’t fit on his walls had migrated out to the living room. He had a toothbrush in the bathroom down here, but he also had a pair of slippers upstairs and bits of paper sketching out designs scattered around the living room and kitchen. He didn’t go into Seonghwa’s bedroom, Seonghwa didn’t go into his, but the rest of the house was slowly starting to belong to both of them. 

But that also brought them to the predicament they were in today. 

Blankets were scattered _everywhere._ All the ones that were in the ottoman, all the ones from the linen closet, any that had been on Hongjoong’s bed, even a plush towel from the clean laundry was mixed in. 

Another throw blanket launched from Hongjoong’s bedroom. “They’re all wrong!” 

“Wrong?” 

“Augh!” he stormed out of his bedroom and tore through the blankets on the floor, “None of them are _working!_ ” 

“Do we need to buy new blankets?” 

“No, they just need to cooperate with me! I’m fine, I’ll get it sorted,” he stormed back into his bedroom again, the warm and heady scent of honey and vanilla smacking Seonghwa in the face as Hongjoong passed. This time he began throwing sweaters and fuzzy socks out of his closet. 

Seonghwa backed away slowly and went for his phone. 

_To: Wooyoung (do not answer)_

_Hongjoong is throwing blankets and sweaters everywhere… Is he ok? Should I get you and San to come over?_

_He smells intense too. I think he might be sick._

_From: Wooyoung (do not answer)_

_omg hyung hes nestign!! aaaa_

_To: Wooyoung (do not answer)_

_He’s what?_

_From: Wooyoung (do not answer)_

_*nesting_

_cuz his heat is starting soon!_

_hyungie probs hasnt had one since he left the shithole_

_omg_

_hyung_

_u gonna help him thru it??_

_this ones gonna be WAY worse since hes not literally dying this time_

_wait_

_lemme get sannie_

_New Groupchat: You, Wooyoung (do not answer), San_

_Wooyoung (do not answer): SANNIE_

_San: huh?_

_Wooyoung (do not answer): HYUNGIES GOIGN THRU HIS FIRST GOOD HEAT_

_San: seonghwa-hyung’s going through a heat?_

_congrats hyung? thought you were an alpha tho?_

_Wooyoung (do not answer): no u dipshit_

_hongjoongie huyng_

_San: OH_

_Message from: Yeosang_

_What’s going on? San’s screaming at his phone?_

_From: Yunho_

_Is everything ok? I’m out with Wooyoung, he’s shouting at me to talk to you?_

Seonghwa put his phone down on the table. Fuck. 

* * *

Hongjoong was going to tear his hair out of his scalp. His bedroom wasn’t clean enough and he had already gone through every blanket in the house — even the nasty musty ones Seonghwa kept stored in totes in the basement — and was now digging through his own clothes. Everything he pulled out was either the wrong texture or the wrong weight, some of them smelled off, others were too much like Wooyoung or San thanks to how much they had been over these past few weeks. One of his sweaters even smelled like Yunho, thanks to Wooyoung stealing it, and that made his lip curl in disgust. Not that Yunho was gross, but he was just so sickly-sweet orange and _Alpha._

He had dug through the laundry too, just to see if anything he had washed lately was the right kind of fabric, and nearly shouted when he found something that would work. It was clean laundry, he shrugged, it’s fine. He shoved his face into the shirt, breathing deeply just to make sure it was perfect, and groaned with happiness. 

He needed his entire bed to be made out of this. It was just some well-worn, threadbare t-shirt, but it felt like silk on his itchy skin and smelled absolutely heavenly. 

He strode triumphantly out of the mud room, shirt wrapped around his head, when he noticed Seonghwa raise his head from his phone to give him a look. 

“Something wrong?” he snapped. 

“No, just… Why do you have my shirt?” 

Hongjoong stopped dead in his tracks. He pulled the shirt off his face far enough to look at it and stared holes into it. 

_Shit, it_ **was** _Seonghwa’s shirt,_ he thought. The one he wore for pajamas last week. 

He cleared his throat and stood up straighter. His ears _definitely_ did not get red. “It’s the right kind of fabric,” 

“And none of the blankets are?” 

He glanced at the blankets (and sweaters and socks and towels) strewn around the first floor of the house and stood his ground. “None of them were working with me,” he stated stubbornly. 

Seonghwa gave him a long look before going back to his buzzing phone, “Ok… Let me know if you need anything, I’ll be here,” 

Hongjoong scrambled into his bedroom and closed the door behind him. His bed was covered in pillows and the stuffed animals Seonghwa bought him or that Wooyoung and San brought him, but none of them were what he wanted either. 

He threw the shirt on the bed and fell face-first into it. Ok, that made things better. 

“Fuck,” he mumbled. He did actually like the shirt because it smelled like Seonghwa. The light scent of the Alpha clung to it just enough that it cooled his skin and warmed his insides. It was soft and cozy and made him feel comfortable. 

But the shirt wasn’t enough. He gnawed at the inside of his cheek. 

He knew what was happening. Hongjoong wasn’t stupid. He was going to be starting his heat soon. He was just… scared. 

This would be his first heat. Ever. Well, first good one anyway. He had been at the shelter for five years, he had his fair share of heats, but the shelter was shit and he just locked in a room with a cot for a week if he wasn’t doped up on suppressants to get them through an inspection at the time (that one had been a rough one). Five years, two heats a year, and this would be his first one in a safe place. 

Hongjoong sat up and readjusted the blankets for the fiftieth time. No matter what he did, he couldn’t make it comfortable enough for him, and his throat grew tight. Thinking about it, he didn’t actually know what he was doing wrong or why it wasn’t working because he had never been able to do this before. He knew Omegas made nests, everyone knew that from high school biology, but what made it a nest? What was he doing wrong? 

He bet Wooyoung knew how to make a good nest. He and San probably cuddled in one together every six months when theirs hit. He wanted cuddles too, but he knew that Omegas in heat can trigger another Omega’s. Wooyoung and San probably had a schedule. He didn’t want to mess that up. 

Although, he could just text Wooyoung. Seonghwa bought him a phone last week and he was eternally grateful even if he had no idea what any of these features were. How the fuck did the camera know what his face looked like enough to use _that_ to unlock it? Some things were better left unanswered, he supposed. But as he grabbed it and it didn’t light up like normal, he remembered he left his charger in the living room last night. 

“Shit,” he groaned and rolled onto his back. He vibrated under his skin. He needed to do something, _some_ kind of fix while he still could, then he could lock himself away for a week with his little hoard of food and wait it out. 

He still had time before it started, didn’t he? Normally he got prickly under his skin, then he’d want to be held (or fuck, even grabbed), then he’d get emotional, _then_ his heat would start. He was just feeling prickles now, it wasn’t to the point where he was going to go piss Seonghwa off just to make him grab him to stop. So actually, if he went to go sit near Seonghwa now, he’d be ahead of the game. Seonghwa never said no to some close contact. (The only time he did was when Hongjoong offered his mouth, but they talked that through. That wasn’t him turning down skinship, that was him worrying about if Hongjoong actually wanted to do it or not.) 

Shuffling back into the living room, Hongjoong felt anxiety bubble in his stomach. What if Seonghwa got worried he didn’t actually want to be near him? He didn’t want to talk about it, but how could he make sure Seonghwa knew he was choosing to do this? 

“Joong-ah?” Seonghwa looked up from his phone as Hongjoong crept closer, trying his damnedest to look casual. Hongjoong did _not_ make eye contact. 

“I’m gonna sit here,” he pointed at the narrow space between Seonghwa and the arm of the couch, “And you can go back to your phone or whatever,” 

“Ok?” 

He took a step closer. “Color?” 

“Green, Joong, you ok?” 

He didn’t answer as he smooshed himself between the Alpha and the plush arm of the couch. 

This was _so_ much better than huffing Seonghwa’s sleepshirt. He was warm and solid next to him. Tension leaked from his muscles. 

“Hongjoong-ah?” 

“No no, go back to your phone, hyung. Don’t look at me,” 

He felt Seonghwa’s gaze on him for another moment but he did eventually go back to his phone, messing around with some game. Hongjoong shimmied, making himself comfortable as his entire right side was pressed against Seonghwa. The Alpha didn’t protest. 

Hongjoong slowly leaned his head against the Alpha’s shoulder as well, just gently touching his arm. Still no complaint from Seonghwa, so he let Seonghwa’s shoulder take his weight. Then his own shoulder followed. Then he was leaning against the Alpha. 

After a moment, he felt a rumble in his chest that was steadily growing louder and louder. He wasn’t growling, he _knew_ he wasn’t, what was this? He sat up in confusion. 

“Hongjoong-ah?” 

“Hyung, I… I think I’m making a noise,” 

Seonghwa snorted, smiling at him. “Yeah, you’re purring,” 

“I’m what?” 

“Purring? Like a cat? You didn’t know Omegas could do that?”

“Never had the chance to,” 

Seonghwa lifted up his arm but held still before he reached over to touch Hongjoong. “Can I? Yunho told me this is something Wooyoung and San like,” 

Hongjoong looked at him for a second before nodding. “Green,” 

“Thank you,” he whispered. Seonghwa gently placed his hand on Hongjoong’s head, at the base of his skull, and didn’t move for a moment, letting him adjust to the feeling. Hongjoong stiffened but let him keep going. Then Seonghwa began moving his fingers, threading them through Hongjoong’s hair and kneading his scalp. 

Hongjoong melted like butter. The rumble in his chest grew louder as well, and he sank into Seonghwa’s side. 

“Don’t look at me,” he mumbled. 

Seonghwa laughed softly. “Ok, I won’t look,” 

Before he knew it, Hongjoong was falling asleep. 

* * *

When he woke up, Hongjoong was way too hot. As he stretched, his clammy skin cooled where it had been pressed against someone’s side. He felt disgusting. 

“Hey,” the someone greeted softly. 

“Hrmph,” he groaned, sitting up to evaluate what state he was in. And what day it even was. What time was it? 

“I’m going to make dinner soon, any requests?” 

With his sleep-addled mind, the question made him short circuit. An Alpha asked him a question, and it sounded like he wanted Hongjoong’s opinion. 

He squinted up at the Alpha he was apparently using as a pillow, trying to figure out who they were. 

“Still tired?” the Alpha laughed, “You’re ok, I’ll pick for now,” 

A hand came towards his face. He flinched. But instead of hitting him, it sat warm and heavy on the top of his head, gently petting through his hair. _Oh,_ it was _Seonghwa_. Seonghwa was the only Alpha who touched him like that. 

His chest rumbled again. He felt… Honestly, he kinda felt nice. It should have been alarming, but (so far) Seonghwa had been good to him. He could keep relaxing (for now). (God he wanted to stop adding those on. He wanted to just relax.) 

“Hongjoong-ah,” Seonghwa nudged his shoulder, waking him back up, “Come on, we need to eat and we should, um, talk about your, er, your heat. Before it starts. Like fully starts,” 

Oh, right. His heat was starting soon. That was why he had napped on Seonghwa’s lap. 

“Hmm,” he hummed in acknowledgement and sat up fully, letting Seonghwa stand and go to the kitchen. 

He _definitely_ noticed the bulge in Seonghwa’s sweatpants as he walked away. 

So Hongjoong had started giving off pheromones already. He was farther along in his pre-heat than he thought. 

Back in the shelter, he swore to himself that he would never spend another heat with an Alpha again. He’d make himself scarce, hide away for a week, and take care of it on his own, but… Things have changed now. He actually kind of _liked_ Seonghwa. Kind of! He had only spent two and a half weeks with him so far, but Seonghwa still had yet to get angry with him in any way. He kept insisting Hongjoong’s room was for _him_ and the Alpha was only allowed in if _Hongjoong_ said so. It didn’t hurt that he was pretty, too.

Nodding, he compromised with himself. He would get through as much of his heat alone as he could, then if he absolutely needed to he’d un-barricade the door and let the Alpha take him. That would make it end faster anyway. 

He shivered as he remembered his first few heats, back before they decided he needed to “break” before he could be trained. Alphas would come and go from his room, “helping him through his heat,” taking what they wanted and leaving when they were done. But at the very least, those had been the shortest heats of them all. Those only lasted a few days. 

Later, as he got more defiant and they realized nothing else was working, they left him in his room, completely alone. That was absolute torture, making his heart ache as much as his cramps. He longed to be with someone, _anyone_ , and even considered calling out for one of the Alphas, or fuck even the betas, to just come _take him already, he knew they wanted to._ But he never did, and he was proud of himself for that. 

The worst one had been when the shelter’s owner came for evaluations while he was about to start his heat. The shelter workers hadn’t wanted the owner to see how _bad_ he was, how much he misbehaved when he was supposed to be a _purebred_ , so they forced him on medications. 

That week and a half, Hongjoong had been trapped in his own body, unable to react to the pain he was in, the burning he felt, because he could only respond to a direct order. He was the most perfectly behaved Omega, dutifully acting on every whim of anyone around him as if he were in the car but wasn’t driving. 

That was how they learned he could take a knot in his mouth. He remembered how their words, _“At least you’re not completely useless,”_ made him furious now, but at the time his doped-up Omega _glowed_ that he was getting _some_ kind of praise. 

He didn’t think he could go through that again. 

Seonghwa was really good about his limits. He had taken to putting a small towel between the pans in the cabinet so they didn’t bang together. He bought unscented and Omega-specific body wash for him so he could use what he liked in his own bathroom. He never pushed when Hongjoong told him something was yellow. 

He didn’t _think_ Seonghwa would want him like that while he was in his heat, but they’d have to see. Besides, when they had the ‘red incident,’ Seonghwa specifically said he’d only want to have sex if they both want to. He didn’t say absolutely no sex. 

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Seonghwa had started a phone call. 

_“You sure you’re all set? Does he have food in his room?”_ Wooyoung’s voice came from the speaker, doing a good job of dragging Hongjoong’s thoughts away from fucking the Alpha he was living with. 

“I”m pretty sure he does, I’ve been noticing a lot of his snacks missing lately,” 

_“What about water?”_

San piped up as well, _“Does he have nice blankets?”_

“Best ones in the house,” Seonghwa assured him. 

_“And are you going to help him if he wants you to?”_

“Of course!” Seonghwa sounded mildly offended, “I’ll make sure he eats and drinks water, and whatever else he may need,”

Yunho cleared his throat as Hongjoong got up to listen in a little better. It wasn’t his fault Seonghwa had his phone on speaker. _“Do you, erm, have any toys for him?”_

_“Shit,”_ Wooyoung hissed. 

“Toys?” Seonghwa squeaked. 

_“He might not want you to touch him yet,”_ Yunho explained. 

Wooyoung groaned, _“I can’t believe we forgot! I didn’t let you near me until after the first one!”_

Seonghwa looked panicked, “Do we need some? I can make a run — um, or —” 

_“I mean you don’t, but it’ll wrap it up a lot faster if there’s a…”_

_“We need a knot, hyung,”_ Wooyoung explained, eye roll visible even over the phone, _“Otherwise it’ll last like a full week,”_

“That’s not the worst —” 

_“I already told you, hyung, this’ll be his worst one ever!”_ Wooyoung snapped, _“He’s not actively in danger, so his body’s gonna put its all into this one!”_

“Fuck,” 

“It’s gonna be worse?” he finally let them know he had been listening, speaking loud enough that they could hear him over the phone but still with hesitation. 

“Hongjoong-ah!” Seonghwa jumped and dropped his chopsticks, “I thought you went back to sleep on the couch,” 

He shrugged and leaned against the island counter on the opposite side of where Seonghwa was preparing some food. 

_“Yeah, hyungie,”_ San apologized, _“This one’s gonna suck. Like when you —”_ he swallowed hard enough to be heard over the phone, _“Like when you can stand up straight when there’s someone in the room with you, but then they leave and then you feel everything hurting? That’s what this heat is gonna be,”_

There was some shuffling on the other end of the line and Hongjoong assumed that was San and Wooyoung getting some much needed cuddles. However, that made perfect sense. He could spit blood on the ground if there was an Alpha in the cell with him, but once the door closed, he would always wait a second then collapse to his knees, letting the pain wash over him. 

He groaned and hid his face in his hands. 

_“I know, I’m sorry, hyung,”_ Wooyoung whined for him, _“It’ll be better next time?”_

_“You’re all forgetting the practical things,”_ Yeosang sighed _, “Leave it to your one beta to remind you. Ugh, I need another one of us. Do you have a heat pad? Pain meds? Gatorade? You might want to get a plug if you’re getting toys too, some Omegas like to be plugged after. Oh hush, San. Movies? Which room are you staying in? Is there a good vent? What are you going to do for cleanup? Do you have Slick Sheets? Chocolate?”_

Seonghwa was quiet for a moment before he muttered, “Yeo, can you text that to me? Like as a list?”

Yeosang huffed in exasperation but they could all tell he was typing the list out as he did so. 

_“We’ll see you later,”_ Yunho said, _“We’ll text you anything else we think of,”_

“Thanks, Yunho, see you. Hongjoong-ah, I’m gonna have to make a run,” Seonghwa said after they hung up, “And I haven’t left you alone in the house much yet. Are you gonna be ok if I go for like an hour to get everything?” 

Hongjoong wasn’t sure. He hadn’t really been alone in the house. Seonghwa had only ever stepped out to grab the mail or other small errands, but never too long. When he worked, he worked from home and sat at the kitchen table with his laptop and papers and phone. Being completely alone in the house would give Hongjoong time to explore without worrying about where the Alpha was, but that made his heart sink into his stomach. He didn’t feel like he could be alone right now. 

“Um,” he couldn’t quite explain if he was ok with that or not, wasn’t sure what he would want to ask of Seonghwa. 

“Here, what’s your color if I leave?” 

“Yellow,” that was easy, he could name a color. 

Seonghwa gave him such a kind look that his stomach did somersaults as he tried to help him figure out what he was feeling, “Any idea why? Is it that you don’t want me to leave the house? No? How about because you don’t want to be alone?” 

“That one,” he mumbled. 

He nodded. “That makes sense. Do you… do you want to come out with me? I know we haven’t gone anywhere yet, but we can go to Target or something, that way it’ll only be one stop,” 

He swallowed hard. Staying next to Seonghwa made him feel so much better, for some reason. His body played tug-of-war with his mind over the need to cuddle and stay close to the Alpha and his very real, very rational wariness of being too close for comfort. 

“I want to go,” he stated resolutely. 

Seonghwa nodded. “Ok, go get a sweater on. It’s cold out,” 

* * *

Seonghwa didn’t drive as often as he would like. His driver insisted on taking him anywhere he needed for business reasons (he supposed that was his job, though) but he had called in saying he’d be spending the next few weeks working from home, so he didn’t have any reason to drive lately. And this would be a short drive anyway, maybe only fifteen minutes there and fifteen back, but he’d gladly take the opportunity to drive himself. 

Hongjoong had scurried off to his room and changed out of his pajamas, rushing like he was scared Seonghwa would leave him behind. They hadn’t gotten a winter jacket for the frail Omega yet, so Seonghwa bundled him in his own wool jacket and grabbed a thinner one for himself. 

Hongjoong was utterly dwarfed in his long tan coat, but as opposed to the first time when he was taking him from the shelter, he was drowning in the fabric in an absolutely adorable way. It hung down to his calves and past his fingertips. The shoulders bunched as he tried to keep it on. The belt could have easily wrapped around him twice. Seonghwa did everything he could not to preen at the sight of the Omega warm in his jacket. 

“No driver?” Hongjoong jogged lightly next to him as Seonghwa led the way downstairs to the garage. 

“No, not this time. I try to keep his driving responsibilities only for work, I don’t like taking advantage of him for my daily life. He’s not my personal assistant,” 

Hongjoong nodded and stayed silent until they reached the garage, where he let out a soft gasp at the sheer size of it. Seonghwa wanted to shrug, again it wasn’t anything like his mother’s, but the underground garage housed a good five of his cars. 

He climbed into the driver's seat of an SUV he had, thinking it would be best because of the snow, and waited for Hongjoong to climb into the passenger’s seat. 

Instead, the small Omega clambered into the back. 

“Do you want to sit back there?” 

“Yes?” 

Seonghwa was learning, slowly but still getting there, that Hongjoong responded much better to questions when there were choices available. He didn’t like abstract things asking his opinion, preferring to take one of Seonghwa’s “approved” choices. 

“Ok, here, do you want to sit in the back or in the passenger seat? You can pick what you like?” 

Hongjoong looked down at his hands for a moment before scooting to the door and hopping down. He climbed in the passenger seat after another moment, shuffling to get comfortable. 

“There’s a seat heater,” 

Hongjoong gasped and scrambled to find it, purring lightly as he did. 

Seonghwa pulled out of the garage and into the light snow that was beginning to fall. 

There were so many things that Hongjoong hadn’t experienced before, or had but so long ago. Who knew how long it had been since Hongjoong went shopping? Since he had fallen asleep in someone’s lap? 

Seonghwa knew Omegas were often sent to shelters like children were sent to boarding schools. They’d stay for a few years, teach them skills they felt were needed for Omegas, give them vacations, give them their own dorms… 

He had only distantly heard rumours that there were shelters this bad. Ones that were extremely strict on those they had taken in, that specialized in “producing the best” Omegas. Ones that the social elite, like him, were expected to have. 

He distantly remembered Hongjoong’s papers listing something about a pedigree. Was Hongjoong a purebred male Omega? That would certainly explain why they put so many resources into getting him to break so he could be “trained.” If Hongjoong was a male Omega from a long line of male Omegas, valuable was an understatement. Coveted was more accurate. 

* * *

**Warning: encounter with an ex-abuser here. Skip to the double dash if you want to avoid this.**

* * *

He’d have to get a collar. Hongjoong would _not_ like it, but it’d make sure no one tried to take him because it’d show _who_ he belonged to. 

They arrived at the store soon enough, and Seonghwa pulled into one of the parking spots, ready to get out and go over the list Yeosang sent him, but Hongjoong didn’t move. 

“Are you ready to go in?” he asked. Hongjoong was staring intensely at something outside. Seonghwa couldn’t tell what, but it made Hongjoong anxious. More than anxious, _scared_. 

“Hongjoong-ah? Are you ok?” 

Hongjoong sunk lower in his chair, trying to hide himself while keeping an eye on whatever was out there. Seonghwa leaned over to try and see what he was looking at when he noticed a woman walking from her car to the front door. Hongjoong tracked her every move. 

“It’s her,” he whispered as if he was certain she could hear him inside the car. 

“Who? Who is she?” 

“She’s… She — The Take-Away-er,” 

Seonghwa had no idea what the fuck Hongjoong was talking about. The woman outside just looked like some regular woman on her way to go shopping. She had a black jacket, dark red hair, looked perfectly normal. But something make Hongjoong panic. He glanced at the car she had come out of. 

Fuck. There, on the bumper, sat a sticker with an all-too-familiar logo. She was an Alpha from the shelter. This was one of the Alphas who had hurt Hongjoong. 

Seonghwa’s blood boiled. Did she know? Did she have any idea the kind of trauma Hongjoong suffered, the lasting effects their treatment had? He could make her pay _so_ easily. Not many outranked him in Dominance, and if there was anyone who did, he had the social status that it didn’t matter. 

Seonghwa placed his hand on the door and began to push it open, ready to sprint to her and do _fuck_ knows what. He was ready, willing to fight, when Hongjoong finally took in a deep breath. 

“Red. Red, Hyung, _red_ , we have to leave, we have to go, red, Alpha please, don’t go out there —” 

Hongjoong babbled, saying ‘red’ as many times as his mouth would allow. Seonghwa immediately sat back in his seat and threw the car into reverse. 

“We’re leaving,” he promised as Hongjoong curled up in the passenger seat. 

“We need to go,” he panted. 

“We’re going, I promise,” Seonghwa reached over and took Hongjoong’s hand in his own, trying to calm the Omega down, “I heard you, we’re going,” 

Fuck the speed limit, but only kind of fuck the snow. He could pay a speeding ticket, he couldn’t pay the snow to keep his tires under him. 

They got home faster than he ever thought possible. Seonghwa threw the car into park, not caring that he was still in the middle of the drive, and ran around to Hongjoong’s door. Grateful he didn’t bother locking the front door because he has that gate at the front of the drive, he pulled the Omega into his arms and brought them into the house. 

Hongjoong wrapped his arms around Seonghwa’s neck and buried his face in the crook of his shoulder. 

“We’re home, we’re home Joong-ah, she’s gone. I swear, she’s gone, she’ll never get you again,” 

After another minute, Hongjoong’s breathing steadied and he transitioned from wracking sobs to the occasional hiccup. 

“Are we home?” Hongjoong mumbled into his sweater. 

“We are, Joong. You’re safe here, I promise,” 

He sniffled and raised his head from Seonghwa’s shoulder, giving his heart a pang when he saw how sad and scared the poor Omega was. “Does she know I’m with you?” 

“No, she has no idea where we are. She didn’t even notice you,” 

Hongjoong nodded and buried his face in Seonghwa’s chest once more. Even aside from the new cuddling Hongjoong had taken to, he could tell the Omega was close to his heat. His skin burned like he had a fever and pheromones rolled off of him in waves. 

Seonghwa’s Alpha was absolutely loving being able to coddle and coo over an Omega who _wanted_ to be close to him. He peeled their jackets and shoes off and left them on the floor, letting Hongjoong snuggle in closer to him. He pressed his nose into his hair and took a deep breath, giving his Alpha the chance to see that he was actually helping calm the Omega in his arms down. 

Hongjoong stopped shaking after another few minutes of them sitting on the floor of the entryway. 

“Can we go to my room please?” 

“Of course,” Seonghwa answered, already standing with Hongjoong in his arms. 

“Can… Can you come in?” 

“You want me to?” 

Hongjoong nodded and wrapped his arms tighter around Seonghwa’s neck. “Green,” 

“Sure,”

Seonghwa set Hongjoong down on one side of the bed and sat at the edge of the other, waiting for him to make the first move. Hongjoong peeled back the blankets (what ones were left on the bed) and shuffled to be under them. With just the top of his head poking out, big eyes staring at Seonghwa, he silently asked Seonghwa to join him. 

He couldn’t say no to Hongjoong. He could ask for anything and Seonghwa would give it in a heartbeat. He certainly didn’t mind. 

* * *

(It's safe to read again)

* * *

* * *

Hongjoong woke up unable to decide if he was pleasantly warm or roasting. In the night, he had plastered himself on top of the snoring body next to him and now he found himself lying diagonally across Seonghwa, spread eagle, with one of Seonghwa’s arms wrapped around his waist. 

He was astounded that the close contact didn’t make him want to shake with fear, but once again, this was Seonghwa, he told himself. 

Honestly, after yesterday, Hongjoong didn’t have much doubt left that Seonghwa was telling the truth. Their color system worked and Seonghwa actually _listened_ to him. Maybe… Maybe there was one Alpha in the world he could trust. 

Seonghwa snorted in his sleep when Hongjoong stirred, wrapping his arm tighter around Hongjoong’s waist and pulling him back down onto him. Hongjoong froze and let the Alpha manhandle him, but even in his sleep he was gentle. Slowly, he let himself relax against his warm chest and listened to his heartbeat. 

His heat would start soon, and while he promised himself earlier that he was going to do it alone… It might not be too bad to let Seonghwa help. 

Hongjoong let himself drift back to sleep, knowing that when he woke up, a weekend of hell would begin. 

He wasn’t wrong. 

He woke up a few hours later as sunlight was starting to peer in through the curtains. Moving to get off of Seonghwa, he peeled his legs away from the Alpha’s. 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he hissed. His thighs were _wet_ with slick, seeping through the joggers he put on yesterday and even into Seonghwa’s pants. 

“Shit!” Hongjoong scrambled to get out of bed. Heat fogged his mind, but he could focus on one thing at a time. He needed to clean up before he got in trouble, that was easy. 

Seonghwa stirred awake once Hongjoong left his side as if he had a built-in radar for where the Omega was. 

“Hongjoong?” he sat up. Hongjoong, once again, noticed the Alpha had a _situation_ in his pants, but to his credit, Seonghwa completely ignored it. “Is it starting? What can I do?” 

He could leave and let him get himself off, Hongjoong thought blithely. Or… Or Seonghwa could help. His dick twitched, clearly happy with that line of thought. They hadn’t had sex yet, but Hongjoong didn’t think anything of sex anyway. Cuddling was a bigger barrier to break, and they had just spent a night together, not to mention when Hongjoong fell asleep using Seonghwa’s thigh as a pillow… 

“I…” he hesitated, wondering if he was allowed to ask. Wait, no, Seonghwa said he was allowed to ask for anything. Maybe the question was what did he want to ask for? Hongjoong felt his lip wibble as he tried to come up with an answer and Seonghwa immediately scooted closer. 

“Hey, it’s ok, I’ll leave if you want, don’t worry about me. This is all about you, ok? Want me to go get water?” 

He shook his head. “No, stay. Please,” 

“Of course. How’s your head doing?”

“I can still think right now, if that’s what you’re asking,” he scoffed, letting Seonghwa lean them against the headboard and wrap an arm around his shoulders. It felt like a blanket settled over him and Hongjoong draped one of his legs across Seonghwa’s lap, wrapping himself around him and taking in his scent. 

“Are you ok with me helping you through your heat? Say the word and I’ll go… But Joong-ah…” he looked down, “You’re rutting against my leg,” 

Hongjoong startled and jumped away from where he had pressed his dick against Seonghwa’s plush thighs. “Sorry!” he squeaked. 

“It’s ok!” Seonghwa was bright red, as red as he had been when Yunho asked if he had any toys, but to his credit he swallowed and kept going, “I’m, uh, I’m here to help, if you want. Whatever you want,” 

Hongjoong whimpered at the genuine concern in the Alpha’s gaze. Seonghwa made him feel _cherished_ . _Important._

“Yes, please,” he mumbled, chin pressing into his chest. The room exploded with the scent of happy Alpha. Hongjoong breathed it in like expensive cologne. He wanted to _roll_ in it. 

Seonghwa gently tipped his head up so they could look each other in the eye. “I’ll follow you. We do what you’re comfortable with, ok? Color?” 

“Green,” 

He needed Seonghwa’s mouth on him _yesterday._ After one last reassuring nod from the Alpha, Hongjoong surged forward and claimed his mouth in a kiss. He was warm and soft and surprisingly gave under the pressure Hongjoong pushed out onto him. Seonghwa let his head rest against the headboard, he let the Omega pin him down, no matter how light that hold was. 

But the Alpha wasn’t touching him. His hands were fisted into the fabric of his pants as Hongjoong leaned over him and Hongjoong wanted him to touch. He grabbed one of Seonghwa’s hands and slapped it onto his hip. The other one joined instantaneously. 

He pulled back and reveled in how Seonghwa followed him, eyes closed for another moment longer, until he blinked slowly up at him. His instincts should be screaming at him, Hongjoong thought absentmindedly, why did he look so happy to be under an Omega? 

“I’ve been wanting to do that,” Seonghwa breathed. 

“Do what?” 

“To kiss you,” 

He said it so simply. Seonghwa admitted it like he was telling Hongjoong he got a text, or relaying the weather, or asking if he had seen his keys. 

Hongjoong didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t say anything. As he surged in for another kiss, Seonghwa’s hands pressed on his hips the slightest bit. Not enough where he was being picked up and moved, but enough that Hongjoong got the idea. He swung his leg back up over Seonghwa’s lap and straddled the Alpha. 

Their clothed cocks rubbed together. Slick dripped from his hole and into Seonghwa’s lap. Hongjoong’s skin burned and his blood boiled and he _needed to cum_. 

“It’s ok,” Seonghwa whispered. 

Hongjoong slowly rolled his hips, experimenting, and groaned at the pressure against his dick. Seonghwa’s breathing skipped enough that Hongjoong could tell he enjoyed it too. He moved faster and faster, rutting against Seonghwa, well. Like a bitch in heat, if he was being honest, but he was just a little too far gone to care. 

“Are you gonna cum soon?” 

He huffed a laugh, “Yeah, but I’m just getting started,” 

“Take whatever you need,” 

He shoved his head into Seonghwa’s neck, breathing in the safety and _arousal_ flowing from the Alpha, and guided one of his large hands to palm over his cock. Like everything Seongwha did, it was gentle and soft, just barely-there pressure ghosting across his dick. 

Hongjoong growled. This wasn’t enough. He knelt up quickly, just enough to kick his pants off, and moved Seongwha’s hand to take him again. 

The Alpha’s delicate fingers caressed him, gathering slick and precum to ease the slide, but he was still scared of making the wrong move. As nice as that was, that wasn’t what he _needed._

“Gimme,” he demanded, scrabbling at Seonghwa’s waistband as well. The Alpha obediently lifted his hips to let Hongjoong shove his pants down and groaned softly when Hongjoong tried to wrap his small hand around them both. He was certainly slick enough to make the slide easy, but he couldn’t get his fingers to meet on the other side. 

Seonghwa reached his hand between them to gather fingerfuls of slick from the inside of his thighs then laid his hand over Hongjoong’s. The wet slide combined with his heat-warm skin on the Alpha’s, the soft grunts Seonghwa gave with every roll of Hongjoong’s hips, the scent of arousal in his sweat… 

Without a sound, Hongjoong spilled over their hands, coating them in his cum. Seonghwa stopped a few seconds later, letting Hongjoong pant against his neck. 

“How was that?” 

“Fuck yes,” he answered, “But you didn’t—?” 

He looked up to see Seonghwa giving him a teasing smile. “You said we’re just getting started, didn’t you?” 

Hongjoong laughed. “I have no idea,” 

“Neither do I, but,” Seonghwa admitted with a glance at their still-hard dicks, “Looks like neither of us are done yet,”

The Alpha made a move to keep jerking them off, but Hongjoong’s dick was sensitive and his hole throbbed. That was a nice kick-start, but he wanted something in him _now_. 

“What do you want, sweetheart?” Seonghwa cooed in his ear, moving to pinch and squeeze his thighs and ass. 

“Somethin’ _in_ me,” 

Seonghwa beamed at him, “Of course. Wanna lay down?” 

Hongjoong sat up and looked at the bed. There was plenty of space to lay down, but… He didn’t want to be under the Alpha, couldn’t be under him. He shook his head, expecting Seonghwa to push him off anyway, but to his surprise, Seonghwa moved them farther from the headboard so he could lean back and traced up his thighs again. 

“We don’t have to,” his grip stayed light and Hongjoong squirmed in his lap. 

“If you don’t get your fingers in me right this second, I’m gonna go take care of myself,” he threatened. 

“No need, angel,” (a shiver wracked down Hongjoong’s spine at the pet name,) “Whatever you want, I’m here,” 

He pawed at their clothes, peeling the cum-and-slick-stained garments from Seonghwa first. Seonghwa sat patiently even though his muscles strained with the apparent want to touch as Hongjoong stripped him then himself. 

He threw their clothes to the floor with a disgusting wet _slap_ and immediately started grinding his bare hole against Seonghwa’s thigh. It was fucking heavenly, but nowhere _near_ what he wanted. 

“I’m serious, your shower is nice, I’ll go help myself,” he goaded with a mischievous grin. 

Seonghwa held onto Hongjoong’s hip with one hand and ran his fingers around his balls with the other. He traced gentle circles around his rim, not trying to tease but inadvertently making the need bubble in his stomach even more. 

Hongjoong slammed his hips down, urging Seonghwa to get the hint. Finally he did and he pressed one long finger into him, easy thanks to the sheer amount of slick spilling out, and Hongjoong groaned. 

“That the best you can do?” he taunted just to see what lovely shade of pink Seonghwa’s face would turn. He wasn’t disappointed. 

Spurred on, Seonghwa worked one finger in and out for another few moments before pressing in a second. With Hongjoong’s insistent movements, he scissored them, only giving him a taste of what he wanted. 

“Don’t wanna hurt you,” Seonghwa pouted, kissing up Hongjoong’s chest as he circled his rim with a third finger. 

“C’mon, I’m made of tougher stuff than that,” Hongjoong placed his hands on Seonghwa’s shoulders, pressing down for leverage, and watched as the Alpha’s eyes went wide. He stopped moving immediately. “You ok? Color?” 

“Green, shit,” Seonghwa laughed under his breath, “Didn’t know I’d be into that,”

Hongjoong grinned madly. “Into what, having an Omega on top?” he stole Seonghwa’s mouth in a kiss once again, raising his hips so the Alpha could pull his fingers out and move his hands to his hips. “Me neither,” 

“Ain’t we a pair,” the Alpha chuckled but it dissolved into a moan when Hongjoong lined his cock up with his wet, waiting hole. Only the very tip pressed against him but Hongjoong needed this like a fish needs water. He could only feel the blunt head, but it was already going to be _so much better_ than his or Seonghwa’s fingers. 

Seonghwa was slipping down the headboard, so Hongjoong kneeled above him again and scooted backwards, waiting to see if Seonghwa followed. He did. 

With Seonghwa fully laying down, Hongjoong felt power thrum through his veins. He, an Omega, had an Alpha at his mercy, ready and willing to follow whatever Hongjoong said. Hongjoong scraped his nails down Seonghwa’s chest, heaving in a breath when it made the Alpha shiver. 

“Look at you, _hyung_ ,” he said with only a bit of a sneer, “Letting an Omega be on top of you like this? Aren’t Alphas supposed to take what’s theirs? _Claim_ Omegas?” 

Seonghwa shook under him. His hips bucked involuntarily, Alpha instincts searching for a warm, wet pussy to sink into. 

“What color —” 

“So fucking green, Hongjoong,” he gave a breathy gasp under Hongjoong. Arousal dripped down Hongjoong’s spine as he planted his hands firmly on the Alpha’s chest and lined himself up to sink down onto his cock. 

“You don’t get to knot me, not yet, not until I say,” he growled. Seonghwa just nodded and scrabbled to hold onto him any way he could. His pretty pink lips opened and closed, forming the shapes of sweet nothings, as his tongue got caught between every so often. Hongjoong could watch him all day. 

Hongjoong grabbed his hands and pinned them above his head on the pillows; Seonghwa gave him this freedom, he was going to take things at _his_ pace and Seonghwa wasn’t going to take that back (unless he needed to stop, of course). 

Seonghwa panted and whined, squirming under Hongjoong’s hold. It wasn’t like Hongjoong could force the Alpha to stay where he was, Seonghwa was easily twice as strong as him, but Hongjoong didn’t miss how his gaze was enough to hold him still. 

“There you go,” he cooed, sickly sweet, “Poor Alpha, just wants an Omega cunt to fuck, doesn’t care what the Omega does to make him get it,” 

Delicious moans escaped Seonghwa’s throat and Hongjoong circled his hips, making slick drip down the dick he teasingly hovered over. 

Slowly, _indulgently_ , Hongjoong lowered himself on Seonghwa’s cock, groaning deep in his chest at the stretch. He’d never gone slow with someone before. He took his time soaking in the stretch like taking sips of a fine wine. He rolled circles, he fucked himself on the few centimeters that were already in him, he did whatever he wanted but never had the chance to do. About halfway down, he clenched experimentally, making the Alpha whimper under him. 

“Hongjoong-ah,” he panted. 

Adrenaline gave him the courage to say things he never thought he’d be able to say to an Alpha’s face. “What, Alpha? Is an _Omega_ not letting you use your dick how you want? What would others think if they saw you like this, being obedient for me? No, no, don’t move. I’m not done,” he moved with Seonghwa when his hips bucked, keeping him from sinking in any further for the moment. 

Without warning, he dropped himself down the rest of the way, taking Seonghwa to the hilt. It punched him in the gut and he felt the burn deeper than he ever had, making him shout in pleasure, but he didn’t miss Seonghwa’s moan-that-definitely-wan’t-a-scream. 

Hongjoong leaned down to press their chests together and Seonghwa searched for his lips frantically, asking for a kiss. Hongjoong captured his mouth and nipped at his lip, making the Alpha under him squeak. They breathed into each other’s mouths for a long moment, taking in the feeling of being together. 

“Do you even know how to use this?” he slowly raised his hips and let them drop back down again, “Or do you need to be shown? Bet you couldn’t fuck me good if you tried,” 

“I can!” Seonghwa sniffled, “I can! Hongjoong-ah,” 

“Ah, ah,” he sat back up and rolled his hips in a way he knew only gave himself pleasure, “One of us is clearly in charge here right now. Who is it?” 

“You,” 

“I want to hear you say it,”

Seonghwa choked at the demand but swallowed hard. “It’s you. You are, Omega,” 

Hongjoong cooed. “There’s a good Alpha, thinking with his head for once,” he took a quick kiss, loving how Seonghwa followed him when he pulled away, and began to ride him with intent, no longer holding his arms to the bed. “Now let me take what I like. If you’re good, I might let you knot me,” 

“Please, please, Hongjoong-ah, Omega, let me? Take what you want, anything, I’m here for you,” Seonghwa babbled. He blindly reached down and wrapped a hand around Hongjoong’s patient dick, completely encasing his small cock with his long, slender fingers. 

Hongjoong let out a proud snarl and took what he had been searching for. Seonghwa’s cock pressed right up against his prostate, finally pushing Hongjoong closer and closer. He felt the knot begin to tug at his rim, caught inside as Hongjoong ground down on him, and the poor Alpha began pleading in earnest. 

“Omega, please, let me? I’ve been so good to you, let me knot you, please,” 

Hongjoong didn’t think he could stop now even if he tried. “Come on, _Alpha_ , show your _Omega_ how good you can be for him,” 

Seonghwa encased Hongjoong in a feral hold, hammering into him with abandon. His knot swelled and gave an impressive pop every time it passed his rim, eventually reaching a size where it couldn’t leave him anymore. It wasn’t at its full size, not yet, but it grew to be too big for his rim without plenty more stretching (and wasn’t _that_ a thought). Seonghwa groaned, worrying a patch of Hongjoong’s neck between his teeth as he switched to slamming Hongjoong down onto his hips to meet him. 

Hongjoong came with a low cry, spilling onto Seonghwa’s chest and clenching down on the finally full knot inside of him. Seonghwa came not too long after, clutching the Omega close and licking up and down his neck in wet slurps, wave after wave of cum filling Hongjoong up. He rocked on the knot for a little while longer, just this side of oversensitive but willing to push through it to hear Seonghwa’s little gasps and moans. 

All the energy drained from his body. Careful not to jostle the knot inside him, Hongjoong laid down on Seonghwa’s chest and let the Alpha envelop him in a hug. Heat sated for the moment, Hongjoong purred, happy and warm and safe. He knew they were sweaty, he knew there was cum on their stomachs and probably about to leak from his hole, but Seonghwa was holding him. And that meant things were ok. 

Seonghwa pet up and down his sides, rubbing circles into his back and tucking his hair behind his ears. 

“How are you feeling?” he asked after a minute or two, voice hoarse. 

Hongjoong hummed happily and nuzzled into the warm Alpha’s hug. 

“I’m gonna turn us, ok? So we can both be on the bed?” 

“Sounds good,” 

Seonghwa gently turned so they were snuggled up next to each other on the bed, one of Hongjoong’s legs stayed draped over Seonghwa’s hip to keep them close. In his experience, knots lasted a good fifteen minutes, though he heard once that they were longer when the Alpha actually cared about who they were fucking. 

Hongjoong wanted nothing more than to fall asleep right where he was, but he needed to check in. He wanted to make sure he hadn’t gone too far in mocking Seonghwa. While Seonghwa nestled his nose into his hair halfway between being awake and asleep, Hongjoong traced aimless patterns on his arms. 

“Was that ok?” he asked softly, scared to shatter the small silence they established. 

“That was amazing,” Seonghwa would have been purring if he was an Omega, “I really liked it. Looks like you were having fun too,” 

He couldn’t help but be a little bashful, “Yeah,” 

“We should probably talk it out, but that can wait if you’re tired,” 

“No, it’s ok,” 

“Mmm. Was that all ok for you? Did anything… Set you off?” Seonghwa traced his lips up and down Hongjoong’s neck, licking his scent into the Omega’s skin, doing his best to satisfy his own Alpha. 

“I started to get nervous when you told me to lay down,” he admitted softly, “But I… I really liked everything else,” 

“Me too,” he breathed. 

“Will you… Will you stay? For the rest?” 

Seonghwa pressed his face against Hongjoong’s, “As long as you’ll have me,” 

He could work with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOOK AT OUR BABY GO! Recovery isn't a straight line upwards, it's going to go up and down, but if we can get a bad day now to be better than a good day then, I'm proud of you <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Hongjoong's heat has finished, he's left with some... Interesting feelings. Does he actually, like, LIKE like Seonghwa? Or is that leftover from his hormones? 
> 
> Seonghwa, after a few weeks of working from home to make the transition easier for Hongjoong, gets called back into the office. He doesn't want to leave Hongjoong alone in the house for the first time, but he also doesn't want to bring the Omega with him to parade around like a new show dog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter doesn't contain much in the way of triggering content! The big scene in this chapter is figuring out if something that used to be a punishment can actually be something nice if it's in good hands. 
> 
> And don't worry, there's more cuddles <3

The rest of his heat passed in a sex-addled, sweaty haze. Vaguely, Hongjoong recalled Seonghwa making him eat and drink some water, but the rest was a blur of positions and filthy words. Hongjoong had never had someone cater to his every whim before, and it was beyond satisfying to have an Alpha ask how he was doing and bring him things and get  _ him _ off whenever  _ he _ wanted. 

He wanted to say it passed perfectly, but it was only natural that it didn’t, and Hongjoong didn’t blame Seonghwa at all. Seonghwa didn’t know that grabbing his arm the wrong way would remind him of one of the Alphas from the shelter, he didn’t know that Hongjoong could dish out all the dirty talk he wanted but didn’t want to hear a word of it toward himself. 

That being said, Hongjoong didn’t know how good sex could be when he felt safe. He didn’t know how good a simple cuddle afterwards could be with strong arms wrapping around him, body heat and possessiveness from them both lulling them to sleep. 

What bothered Hongjoong the most, coming out of his heat, was the fact that he saw Seonghwa differently now. 

He tried so hard to talk himself out of it. It’s got to be some fucked up type of hero-worship, Hongjoong tried to convince himself. Seonghwa got him out of the shelter, so of course he’s going to think he’s falling for the pretty, attentive, caring Alpha. Or maybe it was just a heat thing, and now that he’s been through one with the Alpha, maybe the other shoe would drop…? (He was starting to give up on the idea that Seonghwa would hurt him, if he was being honest, and damn didn’t that make him happy.) But when his heat ended, Hongjoong expected Seonghwa to go back to how he was originally: treating him like a scared animal and worried about making the wrong move. 

Instead, Seonghwa relaxed. His shoulders dropped the tension they had been holding for weeks. He took care of the dishes some nights and cooked some others, but wasn’t hesitant to ask Hongjoong if he could do something to help out. He started to tease Hongjoong back about small, insignificant things. (Like the fact that Seonghwa thought some of the decorations Hongjoong picked out for his room were just plain  _ ugly _ , but that didn’t stop him from buying them.) 

The part that Hongjoong hated that he liked the most, however, was that he didn’t tamp down his Alpha instincts quite so hard as he did before. Seonghwa still moved slowly, still checked in if things were alright, but he let his scent spread when he was happy or proud. He tucked a piece of Hongjoong’s hair behind his ear. He brought slippers or a blanket when he thought Hongjoong was getting cold, no matter if he actually was or not. (Hongjoong was of the opinion that he could always be  _ warmer, _ but he didn’t need to encourage Seonghwa to bring him even  _ more _ blankets.) 

It seemed to culminate one night when their little pack was all together again for a movie night. Hongjoong’s heat passed and Yeosang, the one with the most sense of them all, agreed that they could end their makeshift quarantine. 

With Wooyoung’s direction, he, Hongjoong, and San made a nest on the living room floor while Yeosang and Yunho took the couch and Seonghwa took the armchair Hongjoong was making a habit of napping in. He noticed dimly, as they settled into the nest, that having Seonghwa out of his line of sight didn’t bother him. If he turned his head, he could see Yunho fairly easily, but he would have to stretch the other way to see Seonghwa. And that was… It was alright. Seonghwa would make noise if he was going to get up, just to let them know he was moving (“Curse these old bones,” he joked. Yeosang scolded him, “You’re not even that old, hyung,”) and if someone left the room he greeted them when they came back so they didn’t startle anyone else. 

It was almost like he could trust Seonghwa to have his back. For a moment, anyway. They were in the house, Hongjoong reminded himself, there wouldn’t be anyone they don’t know here, logically there was no one for Seonghwa to protect him from, but the thought still made his chest flutter in a way he couldn’t name. 

(He knew he was bargaining with himself, but he had to give himself an out  _ somehow _ .)

Once the snacks had been brought out, the Omegas were a puddle of purring pups, Hongjoong and San nearly asleep in each other's laps while the movie played in the background. Wooyoung, however, couldn’t get comfortable. 

“Woo-yah,” San scolded, “You’re kicking me,” 

“S’rry,” Wooyoung mumbled, “Just… Jittery.” 

“Did you have too much coffee today?” Yeosang rumbled, deep and soft from somewhere behind them. 

Wooyoung pouted and did his best to hold still. “No, I only had some this morning. Dunno what it is,” 

They were able to get through nearly a half an hour of the movie before Wooyoung’s leg bounced up and down again, squirming as if his skin were crawling. Hongjoong and San had given up on falling asleep at this point, grunting quietly when Wooyoung’s elbow found their ribs or his knee clacked into theirs. 

“Baby,” Yunho called, “Are you doing alright?” 

Wooyoung gave a sound that was somewhere between a whimper and a groan of annoyance. 

“Do you need to be settled, Wooyoung?” 

He stopped fidgeting. San and Hongjoong shared a look. They knew what settling was, of course. Alphas had a kind of power over Omegas where they can make them stay still and compliant by biting the back of their necks, like how a kitten froze when you picked it up by the scruff. But they had only ever seen settling in the context of a fairly well-trained Omega having a rebellious streak and needing to be reminded of where they stood, but not at a bad enough level that they deserved a hit. 

Wooyoung chewed his lip. “No, it’s ok, you’re watching the movie,” 

“And you aren’t, hun,” 

The Omega turned to look at Yunho, eyebrows arched in a silent question. Yunho uncrossed his legs and opened his arms, welcoming him in an instant. 

Wooyoung scrambled from the nest to sit in Yunho’s lap. Hongjoong and San watched, jaws hanging open just a bit. 

Wooyoung settled himself between his boyfriend’s legs and guided his arms to wrap around him like a seatbelt. He leaned back, pressing himself as close to Yunho’s chest as he could, and snuggled in. Yunho brought one large hand up to cross Wooyoung’s chest and hold his shoulder while the other pressed firmly on his stomach. He then leaned forward and sank his teeth into the meat of Wooyoung’s shoulder, right near the base of his neck where he held the most tension. 

Wooyoung  _ melted _ . He held onto Yunho’s arms like they were a stuffed animal and he immediately sank deep into his hold. The tension instantly left his shoulders, his thighs, his face. After another few minutes, his eyes grew hooded and heavy. 

“There we go,” Yeosang cooed, reaching over to pet through Wooyoung’s hair, “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? You can ask, you know, it’s ok,” 

“Didn’ wanna bug you,” Wooyoung protested, half asleep already, “We’ve all been stressed,” 

Yunho lifted his mouth off of Wooyoung’s shoulder and gently licked and kissed over the teeth marks. He didn’t break the skin, but the indent from his teeth was pretty clear. “You’re not a bother, baby. I like helping you,” 

Wooyoung hummed noncommittally and the three of them went back to watching the movie as if nothing happened. Yunho kept his arms heavy across Wooyoung’s chest and occasionally pressed gentle kisses along his neck, but other than that they simply cuddled on the couch, Yeosang leaning against Yunho’s side. The light smell of sweet oranges slowly drifted through the room. 

Hongjoong and San slowly turned to stare at each other. 

“What the fuck was that?” Hongjoong hissed. 

“I don’t know, I’ve never seen that before,” San whispered back. They kept sneaking glances at the two over their small wall of pillows and stuffed animals, but none of them moved, happily watching whatever was on the screen. 

“But he wasn’t…” 

“Yeah,” San knew what he meant, but Hongjoong needed to say it anyway, just to prove to himself that that was what happened. 

“It wasn’t a punishment? Wooyoung wasn’t being bad?” 

“I don’t think they’ve  _ ever _ considered him bad, even when he’s being a brat,” San lowered his voice even more, constantly glancing at his other three housemates. 

Hongjoong rolled onto his side and shuffled closer so he and San were whispering into each other’s necks. “Was it just me, or did it look like Wooyoung… Wanted to? He — he  _ asked _ to?” 

“I think he did,” 

“I don’t get it,” 

“... Maybe Yunho just does it really gently?” 

“No, look at that bite mark, that might bruise,” 

It was Hongjoong’s turn to crane his head up and over the wall of blankets. Yeosang made eye contact and smiled softly, raising an eyebrow to give him space to ask a question, but Hongjoong just ducked back down into the nest again. Wooyoung hadn’t even noticed they were whispering, instead purring happily on his Alpha’s lap. 

“He’s gotta be brainwashed or something,” Hongjoong scowled. 

“Hey,” San looked a little hurt, “No, Wooyoung and Yeosang-hyung would never let that happen, and I don’t think Yunho would even try. Maybe Wooyoungie actually did want to,” 

Hongjoong let them lapse into silence and he snuggled lower into San and the blankets. 

He was baffled. Settling was a way to get Omegas complacent and behaved. It didn’t… It didn’t get rid of jitters! It didn’t make Omegas calm, it scared them into behaving! 

… Didn’t it? 

———

The movie ended and it was time to say goodbye for the night, but after their guests left, Hongjoong was still thinking about settling. 

“Are you alright, Hongjoong-ah?” Seonghwa spoke to him for the first time since the movie started. 

He hummed but didn’t answer, instead picking at his fingernails. 

Seonghwa moved to sit near him on the couch and gently took his hands into his own. “You should stop picking, you’ll hurt yourself,” 

Hongjoong wanted to say he didn’t even notice injuries like that, he was used to way worse, but now he did notice little things. His skin was mostly all one color again, no longer a patchwork blanket of purples and blues and greens. He didn’t have any scabs anymore. Pink marks faded thanks to the soft lotion he put on after a shower or bath, it didn’t hurt to breathe too hard or to laugh anymore. He still had a pink ring around his neck with slightly darker red spots from the collar, but Seonghwa made sure he put a salve on daily to keep it from scarring. Chapped and raw fingers would be the most noticeable injury he had at the moment (other than that one bruise on his shin from when he ran into the coffee table in his rush to show Seonghwa a new art piece he’d finished). 

“Did Wooyoung want to?” he blurted out, resolutely not looking at Seonghwa. 

“Want to what, leave? I don’t think he or San ever want to leave you,” 

“No, um. The, uh. Settling.” 

Seonghwa blinked. “Oh. I mean, I would hope so, because he asked Yunho to,” 

Hongjoong was acutely aware of how Seonghwa didn’t let go of his hands now that he stopped picking at his fingers. 

“Is this something else from the shelter? Do you want to talk about it? It’s ok if —” 

“He purred. Does it —” Hongjoong swallowed, “Does it feel good?” 

Seonghwa’s grip on his hands tightened for half a second before relaxing back to the gentle hold they had before. “I don’t know,” he answered softly, “I’ve never settled an Omega before,” 

Hongjoong nodded and kept staring at their hands. Seonghwa’s were lithe and slender with long, delicate fingers that had been well manicured and maintained. Hongjoong’s in comparison were small and stubby and pudgy and his nails had been bitten to the quick and his cuticles were peeling. 

“If you want to try, I’d like you to ask me out loud. You don’t have to, I won’t push, but... I’d like to hear you say it,” 

Hongjoong chewed his lip. “I… I’m yellow. I kinda want to see, but... I’m scared,” 

“That’s alright, it’s up to you,” 

Taking a deep breath, Hongjoong centered himself and finally looked up at Seonghwa. “I want to see what settling is like. I’ve never, I mean it hasn’t been, I —” he cut himself off and tried again. “It was a punishment before. But things are so different here. … Can we go slow?” 

“Of course,” Seonghwa breathed every fiber of his being into his reply. He leaned back to rest against the arm of the couch and kept his posture open, letting Hongjoong come to him when he liked. Hongjoong stood and moved to be in front of Seonghwa, just looking at him for a moment, then turned to lower himself onto the couch between Seonghwa’s legs. 

Black tea and warmth seemed to envelop him as he leaned back into Seonghwa’s hold. The Alpha didn’t move for a moment, letting Hongjoong move at his own pace, but Hongjoong could tell he wanted nothing more than to wrap Hongjoong in his arms. 

“Okay,” he breathed when he was leaning against Seonghwa’s warm chest, “Green,” 

Seonghwa moved one arm to wrap around his chest then let the other rest gently on top of his stomach. His arms felt heavy, like a dense blanket had been laid on top of him. 

“Still alright?” Seonghwa breathed into his ear. 

Hongjoong nodded. 

“Can I hear it, please?”

“I’m green,” 

Seonghwa traced his nose up and down Hongjoong’s spine. He didn’t bite anywhere yet, didn’t do more than press closed-mouth kisses where Hongjoong knew he had a particularly bad sore from the collar. 

The hand on his stomach pressed harder, bringing Hongjoong flush against Seonghwa’s entire body. It didn’t hurt, it wasn’t a painful push, but it was solid and sturdy and moved with him when he took a breath. The hand on his shoulder rubbed circles on his arm and grabbed his bicep the same way, solid, but tender. It was easy to sink into the hold. 

“Ready?” Seonghwa was so quiet Hongjoong wouldn’t have been able to hear him if he weren’t hanging on his every motion. 

“Ready,” 

He pressed a lingering kiss to the base of his neck, telling Hongjoong where he would be before he opened his mouth and clamped down. 

At first, it just felt like someone was fucking biting him. That’s it. He felt the prick of Seonghwa’s prominent canines, the ache under the line of teeth sinking into the meat near his spine. 

Then, a tingling sensation like when Wooyoung played with his hair spread from the bite. It leached from the bite down his spine like a trail of water, spread through his muscles like heat. His shoulders released tension he didn’t know he was holding and dropped a few centimeters away from his ears. 

He let his head drop back to lay against Seonghwa fully. It was like he was getting a massage, the way the tingles spread through him. He felt himself melting more and more until the now-familiar rumble in his chest from purring came back. He sighed and let his arms fall gently to his sides. 

Seonghwa released Hongjoong from the bite and kissed over the mark just like Yunho did, but he also nuzzled his cheek against whatever scrap of exposed skin he could reach. The hand on his stomach began to make little motions, pressing gently before letting up and starting over. 

“Are you kneading my stomach?” he asked blearily. 

“Sorry,” Seonghwa apologized immediately and almost lifted his hand away, but Hongjoong quickly grabbed it and put it back. 

“Like it,” 

“Mmkay,” 

Time faded from the world. Seonghwa moved back and forth between nuzzling his neck and refreshing the bite, sending new tingles down his back again. Bergamot flooded his senses, carrying happy Alpha pheromones through the air. Once again, Hongjoong felt guilty that he  _ liked _ pleasing an Alpha. But, once again, it was  _ Seonghwa _ . He liked making Seonghwa happy, and Seonghwa liked making him happy. 

He could fall asleep just like this, he decided. Seonghwa was warm and soft under him and Hongjoong slept better with cuddles anyway. Remembering his heat, Seonghwa was a constant heater and Hongjoong had been obsessed with pressing his cold feet against him, not that Seonghwa minded, and if he did he never said. 

Seonghwa nudged him awake what seemed like only a few seconds later, “Tired?” 

“Mmm,” he hummed. 

“Are you ready for bed? Skincare? Brushed your teeth?” 

“Do I have to?” 

Seonghwa huffed a small laugh beneath him, “Yes, Joong-ah. You’ll break out if you don’t,” 

“But ‘m warm,” 

Seonghwa froze for a moment. “Is… Is your room cold at night?” 

Even with sleep creeping in, Hongjoong could tell Seonghwa wasn’t  _ actually _ asking if his room was cold. They lived in a mansion for fuck’s sake, Seonghwa could afford the heat bill. 

“I get cold, yeah,”

Seonghwa hummed and his arms tightened around Hongjoong for just a moment before relaxing again. “My bed, uh, my bed is always really warm. Upstairs, and heat rises? Would you… If your bed is cold, you could test out how mine is,”

“Your bed  _ is _ bigger than mine,” 

Hongjoong did his best to keep the aloof atmosphere Seonghwa offered. He knew Seonghwa was giving him a way to cuddle without admitting he actually wanted to, just like when Hongjoong said he was ‘just going to sit here on the couch’ before his heat. The way Seonghwa knew how to phrase things, things they both wanted but weren’t sure how to say flat out, gave Hongjoong butterflies. Seonghwa accommodated to  _ his _ needs. 

“Mmm,” he shoved his face into Hongjoong’s neck again, as if he were too shy to look at him. 

“I think you’ve kept the good blankets to yourself, even after my heat,” 

“Possibly,” 

Hongjoong gripped Seonghwa’s hand gently. “Yeah, I’ll come see how warm your room is. Heat rises, yeah? So upstairs is warmer?” 

Seonghwa wrapped him in a re-invigorated hug, happy Alpha scent pouring out from him. Hongjoong just smiled and sat up, pulling a beaming Alpha off the couch to go get ready for bed with him. 

* * *

Seonghwa woke up the next morning far too early for his liking. He had gotten used to sleeping in now that he worked from home, so waking up to his phone vibrating violently on the bedside table wasn’t the greatest alarm clock he’d ever had. 

“Hmrph?” Hongjoong lifted his head from his cave of pillows next to him, eyes barely open and hair a mess. 

“My phone,” Seonghwa rolled over to smack it, hoping to send the caller to voicemail, but he actually had to stop when he saw who was calling. 

“Jongho?” 

_ “Park Seonghwa-ssi, I’m so sorry to disturb you,” _ the young Alpha sounded frantic,  _ “But we could use your expertise in this matter,” _

“Wha’s going on?” he rubbed his eye and sat up, gently hushing Hongjoong back into bed. 

_ “One of our vendors has… Misplaced a shipment of the outer casings, and we were supposed to deliver the latest model to Byun Labels this week for the new partnership, but a representative is here and won’t speak to anyone but you, sir, not even Jungwoo-ssi—” _

Seonghwa sighed. Jongho was a phenomenal regional director, but a regional director shouldn’t have to make negotiations with an international company like Byun Labels and certainly shouldn’t have to deliver bad news to a client who isn’t his. 

“I can be in by… What time is it, 7:00? I can be in by 9. Get Mingi to give them the coffee-and-a-tour spiel since he does it best. I can only be in for a half-day, Jongho,” 

_ “Yes, of course, sir! Thank you, sir! Sorry for disturbing you, sir!” _

“Enough of that, Jongho, we’ve worked together for what, three ye— he hung up on me,” Seonghwa lowered his phone at the ‘click’ that most likely meant Jongho was running off taking on even more responsibility once again. 

“Good, Hwa?” Hongjoong sat up but looked like he was anything but awake. His soft, fluffy hair stuck up at all sorts of angles and his eyes were still puffy and mostly closed from sleep. He had the pattern of a fold in the pillowcase pressed into one of his red cheeks and a small trail of drool leaving the corner of his mouth. Seonghwa couldn’t help but stare at how beautiful he was. 

“Yeah,” he said after a second too long, “Uh, I’m being called in to the office. If you want, you can stay here, or go over to Yunho’s — what are you doing?” 

Hongjoong swung his legs over the side of the bed and got up, waddling around to the closet. “‘M coming with? Don’t you,” he paused to yawn, “Don’t you want to be seen with your new Omega?” 

Seonghwa’s cheeks, if they weren’t red from when he noticed he was staring at Hongjoong’s bedhead, turned even redder. He would love to show off how beautiful Hongjoong was, show those stupid reporters that he finally had someone, maybe even get that girl from accounting to stop inviting him to nights out. But at the same time: “You’re not a show dog. I’m not going to parade you around like a piece of meat,” 

Hongjoong pouted. “But I want to go somewhere. The house is huge, but I still haven’t left it at all,” 

“You went to Yunho’s yesterday!” 

“That doesn’t count!” 

Seonghwa knew, he  _ knew _ , the second Hongjoong opened his mouth Seonghwa would agree to anything he said. He was completely powerless against the small Omega, especially when Hongjoong actually stated out loud that he wanted something. 

Seonghwa just rubbed his face again. “Ok, but we’re getting coffee first. There’s no way I’m doing this without coffee,” 

Hongjoong gave a happy little wiggle and rushed to go dig through his closet for something to wear. Seonghwa hauled himself out of bed and plodded to the bathroom. 

He may have agreed to come in only for a half day, but it was going to be a long half day. 

* * *

Hongjoong liked it when Seongwha drove. Yeah, he supposed he could see the perks of having a driver, especially with all the stuff Seongwha does on his phone and laptop every spare second he has, but Seonghwa driving meant that Hongjoong sat in the passenger seat. And sitting in the passenger seat meant that he could watch his face of concentration without it being something that made his brows clench with work stress. And he could mess with the radio and the seat heater, but that was secondary. 

Seonghwa was a stunning man, even if he didn’t hit  _ any _ of the stereotypical ‘attractive Alpha’ traits. If his beauty could be described in one word it would be delicate. He wasn’t a jock Alpha who was popular in TV shows with large biceps and a chiseled frame; his Alpha was graceful and elegant with precise control over his body and actions. He didn’t use force or stature to assert his Dominance, he let it slowly take over until everyone realized he was in charge. He redirected instead of railroading, a trait that was often connected to betas and their peace-keeping ways. Seonghwa didn’t mind being out of the spotlight, preferring to pull the strings instead of being front and center. He could keep a watchful eye over things that way. 

Seonghwa was gorgeous the way that summer nights were. They were peaceful and warm and relaxing, cooling off after a long day but holding the intensity of a bonfire in his eyes. Maybe a bonfire was a better way to describe him, Hongjoong pondered. One of the best things possible to have on your side, a way to warm and shelter and take refuge, but gods help anyone who used it the wrong way. He had seen how furious Seonghwa got when they saw the Alpha from the shelter, he had seen how tense his work had made him. But that burning anger softened to embers just warm enough to toast a marshmallow the second he turned back to Hongjoong. 

They pulled up to the small coffee shop soon enough, snapping him out of his thoughts. Hongjoong was expecting Seongwha to go to a Starbucks or some other fancy-working-professional-chain, but he parked in the parking lot of some little family shop that was small and homey. A little run down, maybe, but cute all the same. 

“They make the best mochas here,” Seonghwa explained, leading the way into the tiny shop. He quickly stopped and let Hongjoong step inside first when his phone rang, following dutifully behind since he was so distracted with the fifteen things he was focusing on. 

“Hello, Park Seonghwa,” he answered, grabbing Hongjoong’s attention long enough to hand over his wallet and whispered, “Black card. Yes, hello Jungwoo, I am coming back in today. Just for a little bit, I’m afraid…” 

Hongjoong took a second to look at the adorable chalkboard menu before deciding what he wanted. He hadn’t had coffee from a coffee shop in so long, he was a little overwhelmed by all the choices, but Seonghwa clearly wanted a mocha, based on his glowing review. 

He stepped up to the counter and was relieved to see the barista was a small beta girl who seemed distracted herself before he cleared his throat. 

“Oh, hello! Welcome to Loona Cafe, what can I get going for you?” 

“I’ll have a vanilla latte, please, just a medium,” 

She grabbed a cup and scribbled his order down just as Seongwha finished his phone call and walked up to the counter as well.

“And for your Omega?” she asked. 

Seonghwa made a small choking noise in the back of his throat but otherwise said nothing. Hongjoong turned to stare at him with wide eyes, but Seonghwa just shrugged. 

“Pick for me,” he did his best to hold back laughter. 

“Ah, yes, uh,” Hongjoong swallowed down his own laugh and bit his lip, “My  _ Omega _ will have a large mocha, extra espresso please,” 

“No problem!” the girl scribbled down that order as well and rushed off to make the drinks. 

Hongjoong made eye contact with Seonghwa once again and they both doubled over in laughter. 

“If that’s the kind of day we’re going to have, I think we’ll need more coffee,” 

“Or soju,” 

“Both,” Seonghwa laughed. “How on earth…?” 

Hongjoong sniffed his jacket, “I think we smell too much like each other for strangers to tell the difference,” 

Seonghwa sniffed his jacket and Hongjoong’s as well and hummed, “Well, I guess we’ll just have to see how the rest of it goes. Now come on,  _ Alpha, _ I think our coffee’s ready,” 

Hongjoong snorted and led the way to the pickup window, trying not to laugh when they overheard the conversation happening behind the counter. 

“Yeojin!” another barista hissed at the girl who just took their order, “Oh my god, did you just call  _ Park Seonghwa _ an  _ Omega?” _

“... Who?” 

“Park! Seong! Hwa! Of Park Comm Intel?” 

“Am I supposed to know who that is?” she whispered back nervously, trying to keep her glances back at them secretive. 

“That’s the company that makes your phone, stupid,” 

“Oh, shit,” 

The other barista came up to the window with their orders. “I’m so sorry, Park Seonghwa-ssi, my  _ colleague _ didn’t mean to offend you, it’s harder for betas to tell secondary genders, but that’s no excuse —” 

Hongjoong snorted but Seonghwa calmly took his coffee and handed Hongjoong’s to him. “It’s no problem, Jungeun, I don’t mind. Besides, he’d make the better Alpha anyway,” 

The other girl, Jungeun according to her nametag, flushed bright red and fumbled with her words as Seonghwa led the way back out the door. 

They waited until they were both back in the car before snorting with laughter. 

“What do you mean, I’d make a better Alpha?” 

“Oh come on, you already run the house,” Seonghwa beamed at him, “Just wait until we get to the office. You’re going to be telling everyone what to do within minutes,” 

Hongjoong took a sip of his steaming coffee and melted against the seat. He had missed the sugary luxury coffee drinks  _ so much _ . He hummed, “Maybe. Once I figure out what you actually do,” 

“You’ll have it down in no time,” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> special guest stars from loona! ill admit i did have to ask my sister "ok who in loona would do this," she said "tbh probably yeojin," and i went "i don't know who that is but ill take your word for it!" 
> 
> thank you all so much for your comments and kudos!! it really makes my day to see that so many people like a story that i consider to just be a one-off (haha, as if i could write a one-off!) 
> 
> i really appreciate everything you all do! i hope you like the rest of the story as much as you did the beginning <3


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